


Hotel Perlé

by Cinnamon_Rose_1982



Category: Eddsworld - All Media Types
Genre: Abuse, Also Valentino is best cinnamon roll, Asexual Characters, Bisexual Characters, Blood and Gore, Gay Characters, Gen, Horror, LGBT, Lesbian Characters, Too many characters, Transgender Characters, Violence, agender characters, diversity, headcanons, nonbinary characters - Freeform, pansexual characters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-29
Updated: 2017-09-18
Packaged: 2018-05-31 05:39:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 34
Words: 196,573
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6458038
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cinnamon_Rose_1982/pseuds/Cinnamon_Rose_1982
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>On an otherwise normal street, there lies a haunted hotel. On an otherwise normal day, Edd, Tom, Matt, and Tord decide to enter this hotel with the help of a few strangers. However, once they get there, they realize that their fates are sealed. Now, they must face the dangers of Hotel Perlé, discover truths about the place and other people around them, and figure out the dark secrets of what lurks within...</p><p>-Warning-<br/>This story is mature content due to harsh language, extreme amounts of gore, and detailed descriptions of self-harm and other suicidal tendencies. It also touches on deep subjects such as mental disorders, physical disabilities, abuse, sexual assault, and other things you otherwise wouldn't hear about in everyday life. Read at your own risk.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

Rosey Lane. That was the name of the colorful street in London, England where people enjoyed their daily lives. It was full of typical cookie-cutter houses, with happy families of two or three or five. The people came and gone in the typical cycle, but the street always remained cheerful and full of life.

Except for the single outlier in the midst of their joyful endeavors.

In seemingly the very middle of the street, there was a large hotel up on a hill. It was guarded by half-walls and a winding concrete staircase. While all the houses were made with colorful brick, the hotel was held together with dull gray stone. While the greenery of the rest of the street was tame and full of multicolored flowers, the plants here were moss growing in between the stone and winding ivy reaching for the browning windows. While the houses were more modern and kept in good shape, the hotel hadn't seen a good clean up in several years. The cherry on top of the sundae was that just at the bottom of this hill lay a graveyard. While the place didn't hold many bodies, the people considered it a sort of memorial grounds or sacred place - for what reason, even they didn't know. All they knew were the names engraved on the plaques and the missing posters that had been impaled on the fence for as long as they could remember.

But the residents didn't like to focus on the past here. They preferred the present.

On this surprisingly sunny day, all of the kids were out playing basketball in their driveways or baseball in their backyards. The parents were grilling lunches, having family reunions, or enjoying the sunshine. However, much as they tried, they couldn't keep in their curiosity towards the hotel - especially on a day like today, where the same teenagers sat in front of the place; today, with three new strangers.

"Come one, come all, to the legendary Hotel Perlé!" one of the girls announced, twirling around in circles. "It's magnificent, it's haunted, it's the best tourist attraction since P. T. Barnum's freak shows! Do you dare to face the horrors of the never-ending insanity, the always-changing layout, and the vengeful spirits?" Ending in a dynamic pose, she turned to the other girl there. "How was that?"

"Why do you need to put on some dramatic show for all the guests?" she asked the other. "If they're coming here anyway, they don't need more persuasion."

"But we're trying to get more people than just those ones, Perri!" the first girl argued. "We got special permission to come out here, obviously we need to do a good job of it! Back me up, Ollie."

The boy she was gesturing to was too engrossed in his book to notice her.

"Ollie Ollie Oxenfree!" the girl shouted, kicking him. He let out a yelp, adjusting his glasses.

"Wha- what, what is it, Ivy?" he stammered, holding his book protectively to his chest.

"Get your nose out of that paranormal book and back me up here!" Ivy responded.

"I don't even know what I'm supposed to be backing up..." The boy looked down.

"Oliver, don't worry about it," Perri reassured. "She's just anxious about not disappointing people, and also she wants to get back to you-know-who."

"Don't even get me started on how they couldn't let me out here with her!" Ivy yelled.

"We know, we don't need to hear it again," Perri groaned. "I just think it's perfectly logical to not have her out here because then you would scare everyone away."

Ivy humphed, turning away and crossing her arms. She silently ranted to herself. Oliver went back to his book. Perri looked around the street for anyone coming over to them. She heard the sound of a gate opening and looked towards the graveyard.

A lone teenager stalked out of it, shutting the gate gently behind him. He shuffled over, looking reluctant to be there. He walked with his eyes on the ground, never noticing anything but the movement of his own feet. One of the last three teens whistled at him to garner his attention. The teen looked up, with a strange expression on his face as he stared at them. It seemed like he was trying to hide all emotion from them, yet fear was prevalent in his widened pupils.

"Why were you out in there again?" the oldest one inquired.

"What, did you hear that whispering you keep talking about?" the one sitting next to him questioned, making them all laugh.

The boy sighed, stalking over to them. He mumbled, "No, I was only...reminiscing." He sat down with them on the grass, pushing the soles of his feet together. He refused to look away from the ground, afraid that it would start falling apart around him if he did.

There was a calm silence surrounding them. It wasn't the tense silence of fraying ends. It wasn't the awkward silence of mortifying events. It wasn't the asphyxiating silence of absolutely no sound, with only walls surrounding you and crushing you. No, this was a golden silence. A silence where they didn't need to communicate in order for people to know what was going on. A silence where it wasn't too quiet but not too loud, with only the actions of nature filling the gaps. A silence where they felt comforted by the lack of noise.

However, despite this reassurance, the youngest teen of the main few felt conflicted. He felt alone, separated from the others even though he was still right where they were, sharing their same silence, sitting the same distance away. A ticking time bomb seemed to lie in his chest, a sense of panic that always told him that everything he didn't want to happen was inevitably going to happen. And when that bomb went off, everything in the world turned to chaos. But his world was different from everyone else's world, even if they lived in the same one. It was a separation that couldn't be avoided, something he was born with. The grass of their world was always greener, in more ways than one.

The teen finally looked up, not able to stand staring at the ground any longer. He stared at the road, watching a crack rapidly open up through the street. The cars drove over it easily and the people didn't seem to care there was a world-ending thing right where they lived. The boy shared their sentiments, staring at it with glazed-over eyes as the sea of concrete split open. An endless void of nothingness glared at him from below. The cars and people ignored all sense of physics, as if the void wasn't even there.

After all, in their world, it really wasn't there. In his world, though, it was.

As he reached out to maybe grab a handful of this strange void, he was stopped by a sudden screeching in his ears. He clenched his teeth and crossed his arms to rid himself of the noise and pain. He shut his eyes tightly as well, the void taking up his vision now. The screech ceased, allowing him to calm down and wake up to the world that everyone else saw. Three of the other teenagers seemed to have suffered the same thing he did, all holding their heads in pain or rubbing their ears. The last three, however, were staring at the others with equally bewildered expressions.

"What's going on?" Ivy asked, ever curious.

"Guests will be arriving," the oldest teen replied, pushing himself up. The two who were next to him rose as well. With the way they were dressed, they looked like a fire streaking down the grass to the last teen, who collapsed in on himself like burning logs into ashes. He refused to stand, instead staring at them with fearful eyes.

"You three." The third teen in line jerked his head towards Ivy, Perri, and Oliver. "You should leave."

They blinked a few times, surprised at his sudden disdain. When he glared at them, they stopped hesitating and immediately headed in the direction of the hotel. Oliver tripped over his own feet and started running out of pure fear, with the others following suit. The teen snorted at them, shaking his head. He looked over his shoulder at the last teen. He gave him a sharp glare, making the poor soul scramble up in fear, his chest heaving from the strain of adrenaline.

"Are you going to be joining us?" he asked the boy.

"Yeah, or are you just gonna stay behind instead of being nice to the guests?" the second teen in line chimed in, bending to see the last teen's face as he spoke.

"I consider them unfortunate," the last teen responded, his voice cold and his face made of stone.

"He's doing his metaphor mumbo-jumbo again," the second teen whispered to the oldest one with clenched teeth, as if the youngest couldn't hear him. "I can't tell if that's his thing or he's having a breakdown."

The oldest teen sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Well, we can't do much to stop him. Do you want to go without him?"

"Do not leave me alone," the youngest teen abruptly said. "I just...need a bit of time. To myself."

The oldest teen frowned, but nodded anyway. "Go ahead."

The youngest teen gave him a slight nod in thanks and stepped a few paces away from them. He could hear their whispers just out of earshot, but he didn't care about that right now. All that mattered to him were those guests.

He stared up at the hotel, his eyes studying every detail. For every stone the hotel was built of, a word got caught in his throat. For every leaf on the ivy crawling up the walls, a hundred memories came rushing back to him. For every fate that met those at the hotel, a thousand thoughts rushed through his mind. As he continued staring, his eyes moved slowly upwards, to the very roof of the hotel.

The roof. The highest point. Up. Freedom.

He shook his head. The thought was useless. He couldn't get through to them. He tried once, and that cost him a million more things than just freedom. But while he couldn't get through to them, maybe he could try a different tactic. He stared up at the roof again, and closed his eyes. He opened his mouth slightly, drinking in the slight breeze. Whispers came to his ears. Names. Questions. Curiosity. A frown made its way to his face, but he responded anyway. He told them what he needed to. They questioned him, of course, but he couldn't let them know everything.

All he was able to say was, _Do not enter Hotel Perlé_.

Then, he turned towards the other teenagers and walked to them. They stared at him, an unspoken word passing through the group. He nodded, and the four began their trek down the road.

And as they headed down the street, the people looked on. All were watching. All were wondering what they were doing, where they were going, why they were always there. But eventually their worries ceased and they turned back to their own lives. They didn't want to spend their days caring about something they couldn't change.

After all, the only ones who knew the secrets had taken them with them to the graves.


	2. Encounter

It was boring. Significantly more boring than any other day before. Yes, just a week or so before, Edd had turned into a superhero and reconciled with his neighbor Eduardo, Tom had turned into a horrifying monster, Matt had run around the town screaming, and Tord had retreated into his room all day and acted suspicious, but everything just wound down way too quickly after this adventure. They were bored, and as any bored person was wont to do, they tried to find fun things.

Matt now scrambled through his toy chest and pulled out several board games, some having never been taken out of their box yet. He grabbed Candy Land for the third time and ran down the stairs and into the living room, where Edd, Tom, and Tord continued to make ass imprints into the couch cushions. Seemingly too hyper to run out of breath, Matt slammed the board game down onto Tom's lap. Considering this had happened every time Matt got a board game, Tom wasn't too surprised, but still jumped a little bit. He looked down at the game and groaned.

"Matt, for the last time, we are not playing Candy Land," he said, turning his head up to see Matt's hopeful face deflate into a sad one. "Go find a different game."

"But Tooooom," Matt whined, "these are all the board games we own."

"I'm surprised you haven't hoarded a hundred more," Tord muttered. Matt didn't seem to hear it and continued to whine to Tom.

"How about you go find a video game?" Edd suggested. "We have dozens on the Minfendo 46, the Kii, the WBox, and the PayStation. Surely you can pick one from there?"

"But Tom always beats me!" Matt complained.

"Matt!" Tom yelled. "I told you to tell no one!"

Edd sighed and flipped through the channels on the TV once more. Professor Why, Electron: Magical Offender, Tentacles From Space, Professor Why, Norwegian Robot Architecture, How It's Destroyed, FableBreakers, Professor Why, Antigravity Rises, Stephen Galaxy, Professor Why, Professor Why, Naturalsuper, Professor Why... It seemed like every station was playing Professor Why nowadays. The same old boring show about some magical time lord. Why did every show nowadays always feature something to do with either aliens or destroying/building stuff? He just turned off the TV and turned to Tom and Tord. Matt had disappeared back upstairs.

"What's he-" Edd was about to ask, but Tord cut him off.

"He thought the TV channels might be different upstairs," Tord said.

"But we don't have a tele upstairs." Edd sounded confused.

"I know." Tord mouthed the words "one, two, three" and right on cue, Matt's steps barreled down the stairs and he screamed, "There's no television upstairs!" He slammed his hands into the back of the couch and yelled, "What are we gonna do?!"

"Calm down, Matt, I'm sure there's something fun we can find," Edd said. He turned to Tom. "What do you think?"

"Well, I did have a few haunted houses in mind since we didn't get to go to one last October," Tom answered. "They're pretty far away, though."

"A haunted house?" Tord sounded interested.

"But it's January," Matt whined. "And I don't like haunted houses."

"Well, it's better than you turning into a vampire and nearly killing us all," Edd laughed.

"Or both of us turning into zombies," Tord added.

"True..." Matt still seemed uneasy.

"Here." Tom pulled out his phone and searched for local haunted houses. He scrolled through a large list and announced the names of a few. None of them sounded or looked interesting or even scary. He sighed and punched in haunted attractions instead of just houses. He skimmed through the list and was about to look up another variation when Matt pointed to one of the names.

"Wait, go back to that one." Tom scrolled back to it at Matt's word. "There. Hotel... Pearl-ee?"

"I'm pretty sure it's pronounced Hotel Pearl-ay," Tom corrected.

"More like hotel of gay," Tord laughed. "Look up something else, Tom."

"No, Tom, click on it," Edd argued. "It sounds interesting. Plus, it's pronounced Hotel Pearl. It's that simple."

"I was going to do that anyways, just to spite him," Tom responded, clicking on the link as Tord grumbled. "And I'll pronounce it however I want, thank you." 

However, when the page loaded, the site seemed to be down. He refreshed the page several times, but Safari just couldn't connect to the server. He muttered a curse and looked over to Edd. "See if it comes up on your phone."

Edd nodded and pulled out his phone, searching up Hotel Perlé and clicking on the site's link, but once again having no luck. He huffed, frustrated, and punched in the site's name several times over and refreshed the page even more, but still couldn't connect.

"Alright, maybe we could try the other websites," Tom suggested. Edd nodded and looked at the other results, but quickly noticed something wrong.

"Uh, guys... Why are there a bunch of police reports here?" Edd questioned, looking uneasy. The others crowded around to see, which cramped Edd into the side of the couch. He shooed them away, shouting, "I need my space! If you're gonna crowd around me like that, let me switch places with Tom so we can do this comfortably, or stand up behind the couch like Matt." 

The ginger beamed, taking this example as a compliment. Tom got up and stood next to him, folding his arms over the top of the couch and leaning against it comfortably. Tord stayed where he was and Edd scooted over to the middle of the couch. Now, they could look at the screen.

Indeed, the other links were lists of missing persons. At first, they didn't seem to correlate with the hotel at all, but upon reading the little description below the title, in bold text there was Hotel Perlé, along with other text that showed up in the article somewhere else. Edd tried to click on one of the links, but just like the other link to the Hotel Perlé website, it failed. Edd muttered a curse under his breath and then an apology for cursing.

"Well, bollocks," Matt said. "Guess we can't go to this hotel after all. Boo!" He said his words in an ironic manner.

"No, we're going," Tom confirmed. Matt let out a huffy breath in response, but Tom ignored him and continued, "Edd, go to the Wikipedia page. I don't care if it's unreliable, it has never gotten that error message before and therefore it has to work."

"Alright..." Edd sounded unconvinced, but clicked on the link. Like Tom had said, it worked.

"Hooray!" Tord jumped up with a cheer.

"Huh, the spirits love Wikipedia, I guess," Matt muttered. "What's it say?"

"Let's see..." Edd began reading the summary at the top of the page. "'Hotel Perlé is a haunted hotel located in England. Not much information is known about it. It seems to have just appeared and everyone accepts that it's been there for a long time. It looks to be old and abandoned. Rumors are spread that anyone who enters the hotel can never leave.'"

"Hah, what a kiddie story," Tom snorted. "Let's pick another haunted place."

"No, I wanna read more," Edd argued. He scrolled to the table of contents and mumbled them aloud. "Location, history, usage, people..." He paused for a moment. "D...Deaths and missing reports?"

The room went silent. Everyone turned their heads to the other with horrified looks on their faces. Even Tom looked uneasy. Edd eventually went back to his phone and clicked the 'Deaths and Missing Reports' portion to easily get to that part of the page. However, his phone froze.

"Aw, come on!" Edd clicked at it furiously. He huffed and just as he was about to exit the page instead, his phone vibrated and something popped up on the screen. He had a message from an unknown number. He frowned and went to answer it. The others snooped, staring at his screen as if there were an adorable kitten prancing around upon it.

The message read:

> Whatever you do, do not enter the hotel.

Edd frowned again and typed an answer.

< Who is this?

A reply came almost immediately.

> It does not matter.

> Please do not go to Hotel Perlé.

> It will save your life.

< Tell me who you are and maybe I'll listen to you.

> Do not repeat history, Edd.

Edd was shocked, as were the others.

< How do you know my name?

> Do not let your life get stolen from you as easily as mine was.

> Save yourself.

> Save your friends.

> Do not enter Hotel Perlé.

And the messages stopped. Edd found that he could not even type a reply, as they would not send. He looked at the others from his spot on the couch for a few moments, then went back to Safari to see that the Wikipedia page had closed itself down. He was back to the search results page. He clicked the Images button. Several pictures of the abandoned hotel showed up. He had to be honest, it looked quite creepy. Every picture was dark and dreary, with either a midnight sky or a raining background, though they were probably just to advertise. He scrolled down a bit to see if there were any images of the inside. While he found a few, most of them were of empty rooms or police tape covering a door. Despite his better judgement, he scrolled down further.

And then there was a picture that made him sick to his stomach.

The room in the image was dark, made of only wood. There was an old television in the corner of the room, tuned to static. It was the only visible light source, and was probably the only thing being used as a light source, as the entire rest of the room shown was shaded only by the TV. In front of the TV, hardly visible due to the darkness, was a body. It lay face-down, blood pooled all around it. There were scars on the revealed skin of the body. It looked fresh. There was no link to where the image had come from, nor a title.

"So," Tom began, "where are we gonna find directions?"

"You've got to be kidding me!" Edd screamed. "We are not going to this place!"

"I hate to do this, but I gotta agree with Tom," Tord replied. "The body looks pretty fake, but it's better than any other old haunted house I've seen."

"I'm not very sure about this," Matt began, "but what could go wrong?"

Edd looked at them all and sighed.

"Alright. Let's go."

***

"Edd, I'm pretty sure we're lost."

As the group of four traveled along the grass, they stared at the so-called directions that Edd had found on Google Maps. They found that Hotel Perlé was located on Rosey Lane, a street they had never heard of and needed directions to find. Here they stood on an unknown street, undoubtedly lost and not knowing where to go from here. Edd continued walking, staring down at his phone and not looking where he was going.

"Tom, if we were lost, we'd be in a forest and panicking," Edd replied. He headed towards a place unknown, his feet veering onto the road.

"Edd, look out!" Matt called.

Edd glanced behind him and hurried onto the grass as a car barreled past, honking and yelling profanities. He caught his breath for a moment, in shock that he almost got run over. Finally, he took a deep breath and kept walking. Matt followed suit, as did Tord. Tom scoffed and looked away as he continued along with the group. They came upon a sidewalk and traveled down it, passing by houses and confused teenagers. After the group was hit with a few basketballs and walked by the same few houses twice, Matt spoke up.

"I think we're just walking in circles," he told the group.

"No, Matt, we've been walking in squares," Tom responded sarcastically. "Obviously we've been going in circles. We're lost. Edd, ask for directions or something."

"Wait, isn't that it up there?" Tord pointed to somewhere beyond them. They followed his hand and saw the massive structure, looming over the whole street and making every house seem Pluto's size in comparison.

"Are we sure we wanna go there?" Matt squeaked.

"Heck yeah." Tom grabbed Edd's hand and pulled him across the sidewalk. Edd tried to free himself from Tom's grasp, but it was no use as he was led to the hotel. Matt and Tord followed behind them, looking both parts anxious and curious.

When they began to be in close proximity to the hotel, they spotted four teens standing at the sidewalk and laughing. The group slowed down, not wanting to run straight into them. However, the other teenagers seemed to be as curious of them as they were of the others. They both stopped, looking at each other.

"Hey," the tallest teenager began, "are you going to Hotel Perlé?"

Edd nodded. "Yes. Is it that one just up there?"

"What else would it be?" the teen laughed. "We're going up there too. Mind if we tag along?"

"We don't mind." Edd smiled. "Lead the way."

Edd, Tom, Matt, and Tord followed behind this strange new group of boys, looking forward to finding out what lay in this hotel. As they arrived at the stairs, they stopped. All eight of them stared up at the stone hotel. Edd found himself suddenly afraid by the thought of thousands of bugs possibly lurking in this abandoned place. Tom was a bit unnerved by the broken windows, wondering if the things that broke them were falling bodies. Matt felt a shiver run up his spine when he looked at the plants creeping towards the windows like long arms reaching for a victim. Tord could only think of how old this place was and why the ceiling hadn't caved in on itself by now. However, all these fears only added to their curiosity and excitement.

"Isn't it magnificent?" one of the teens, a ginger one, inquired. However, he didn't seem to really care about their answers, as all he did was stand there with a smile on his face.

"It's certainly lost its shine," the blond standing next to the ginger commented. He turned to the other teens and asked, "Didn't we forget to introduce ourselves?" 

"Right." The tallest one turned to Edd and his group. "I'm Mars, and these are my brothers."

"The name's Rome," the dark ginger told them.

"Warrior's my name," the blond said.

The last one stared down at the ground, seemingly lost in thought. Warrior elbowed him, making him stagger back.

"What did I do wrong?!" he yelped, suddenly in a panic.

"Calm down," Warrior replied, his face expressionless but his tone with a slight twinge of anger. "Just introduce yourself."

"Oh," the boy squeaked. "Ehm...I am Valentino. Pleased to meet you..." He looked over at Warrior. "Did they already say their names?"

"Nope," Edd told him. "But I'll introduce myself now. I'm Edd, and these are my friends."

"Tom."

"I'm Matt!"

"The name's Tord."

"Nice to meet you all," Mars replied happily. 

The others agreed, while Valentino stayed silent. He spent a slightly longer than normal amount of time staring at Matt, then shook his head as if forbidding himself from doing something. He averted his gaze, his cinnamon brown eyes full of fear and sorrow. He kicked his foot into the dirt, sending up some dust that flew up and landed on the stairs.

"Perk up, Val," Rome remarked. "There's no need to act so horribly in front of our new friends."

"Y-Yeah..." Valentino stammered, following him up the stairs. The eight of them continued upwards. Edd, Tom, Matt, and Tord tried to look and see how tall the place was, though the sun forbade them from doing so. Meanwhile, the others were more focused on the door - or in Valentino's case, the ground.

"Sorry about Valentino," Warrior apologized to Edd, Tom, Matt, and Tord as they headed up. "He's got some issues with being happy around this place."

"What, did he not want to come here?" Tord asked.

Valentino gave him a stony expression before explaining, "I do not think you would feel very comforted by the fact that a rumored haunted hotel looms over your street every night and you can see it from the windows of your own home. Not to mention the...other factors tied in with coming here."

Warrior immediately whipped around to look in the direction of Valentino. A hardened glare was focused straight at him. However, the brunet only glanced at him through his peripheral vision with a scowl on his face. Rome looked between them with an expression torn between wanting to intervene or wanting to choose a side.

"Uh, what other-" Tord began.

Mars cut in, "Anyways, you guys weren't looking for this hotel just to stand around and stare at it. I think we should actually step into this place. What do you all say?"

"Yeah!" Edd shouted.

"Sure," Tom answered.

"Let's do this!" Matt exclaimed.

"Hell yeah!" Tord yelled, all previous doubts dissipating.

"Let's go!" Rome replied.

"Yes," Warrior said.

"I suppose...if you all insist," Valentino responded in a quiet voice, still looking away.

"Then let us enter." Mars pushed open the heavy wooden door with a harsh creaking noise. The sound of shoes clinking against hard floors made its way to their ears as he disappeared into the darkness of the hotel.


	3. Entryway

Even after watching Mars walk in with no hesitation, Edd couldn't bring himself to step inside just yet. Tom looked over at him, cocking his eyebrow. Edd merely gestured for him to go in first. Tom shrugged and went ahead. However, as he did so, Tord pushed him aside and ran into the hotel. From inside, he yelled, "You guys are too slow!"

"What is this, a Sonic game?" Tom muttered, finally stepping into the place. Matt followed behind him, looking around at everything he possibly could. Edd still stayed behind, peering into the darkness of the hotel.

"Are there any bugs in there?" he questioned.

There was a moment of silence before Tord called, "It's fine, Edd!"

Edd nodded and went inside. His steps creaked across the wooden floor. He was greeted by Tord and Tom checking out the place. Matt was at the side of the room, inspecting what seemed to be the front desk. It had a chipped granite counter with a rusted silver bell sitting stop it. The gray tones didn't seem to match with the regular brown wood of the rest of the place.

While the four looked around at the inside, the last three waiting outside began filing in. Rome went first, his eyes roaming over the hotel as he took his place by Mars. They stood near the middle of the main room, watching the others drink in the place. Valentino waited just outside the door, staring not at the hotel but instead at the open air around him. Warrior did the same, glancing over at Valentino every so often.

Without looking at him, Warrior murmured, "You want to run away, don't you?"

Valentino was silent, only giving his answer through a slight nod.

Warrior tilted his head. "Well, why don't you?"

"You know that answer too well to be asking it," Valentino replied. "After all, you are part of the problem."

Warrior humphed. "I see myself as indifferent to the situation."

"I can see myself as free," Valentino responded, "but you know as well as I do that that is as true as what you believe." He turned towards the hotel and walked inside without so much as a glance back. Warrior stared after him, not giving any intimation of his emotions.

When Valentino stepped in, he found everyone conversing. Mars and Rome were laughing about something while the others were by the hotel desk. Matt in particular was playing with the bell, making it ring several times. Valentino frowned, tapping his foot on the ground as if he were impatient. Suddenly, the bell stopped ringing, no matter how many times Matt pressed it.

"Aww man!" Matt exclaimed. "Why won't it work anymore?"

"You busted it," Tord replied. "Great job."

Mars and Rome now looked over at the sight, equally confused as to what happened. Rome glanced over at Valentino, who shrugged his shoulders. However, when Rome looked away, Valentino couldn't keep a smile from forming on his face. He stopped smiling when his attention was brought to Warrior finally entering. The blond reached for the doorknob, about to close it behind him.

Thoughts raced through Valentino's mind. He considered shouting for everyone to run and booking it out of the place, but then he would seem even more crazy than he already was. He considered getting out of there now, but it wasn't guaranteed that the others would chase after him and give an opportunity for Edd, Tom, Matt, and Tord to leave. He decided to stand there and let the doors close in on them. 

But while everyone was occupied and not looking at him - and while Warrior was still in the process of shutting the heavy door - he raised his hands and put them together as if they were a gate, then moved one hand inward to make it look like an open gate. He kept his hands like this, staring at Warrior from the corner of his eye to see what happened. The blond was struggling with the door much more than usual, as if wind were coming from the inside of the hotel and keeping the door open. Valentino fought the smile creeping to his lips, internally chuckling. He looked back in front of him and saw that Tord had turned around and was staring at him. He gasped, immediately clasping his hands together to not seem crazy. As if prompted by his action, the door shut with a large bang, nearly throwing Warrior from the handle. Everyone jumped and looked at the commotion. Warrior looked slightly confused, but quickly regained his composure.

"Relax, that was just me closing the door," Warrior's voice echoed throughout the foyer as he stepped towards Mars and Rome. He looked over at Valentino suspiciously. The brunet gave him a smug smile, as if feigning innocence. Edd, Tom, Matt, and Tord moved over to the middle of the room so they could look directly at the others. Valentino decided that he should stop looking suspicious and also move into the middle with them.

"So what's with that bell anyway?" Mars asked.

"Matt broke it," Tom answered.

"I did not!" Matt exclaimed indignantly. "It broke itself!"

Tom only scoffed in response.

"I guess we could relax and talk a little bit before we get to exploring," Rome suggested, moving over to the front desk and lifting himself up onto it. "So, where ya from?"

Mars, Warrior, and Valentino moved over to Rome as Edd answered, "We live over on Durdum Lane. I think it's only a few blocks away."

"Never heard of it," Mars remarked as he also lifted himself onto the counter to sit beside Rome. Warrior did the same thing. Valentino tried, but he was too short to do so.

"Well, we've never heard of this place, so I guess we're even," Tom said. "How did you learn about it, anyway?" 

"We live right near here, so we figured we should check it out," Mars explained. "I mean, it's kinda hard not to get curious when we see it daily."

"And yet everyone else on this street ignores it," Valentino snorted. "Ain't that a pip."

"How many languages do you speak?" Warrior inquired.

"Two, if only because Latin is written," Valentino answered.

"Really, because it sounds like you speak Old English, 1930s slang, Shakespeare, and about fifteen others," Warrior sneered. Rome laughed at the joke, while Mars only rolled his eyes.

"Anyways, how'd you hear about it?" he questioned Edd, Tom, Matt, and Tord.

"We found it when looking up haunted houses," Edd responded.

"A haunted house in January?" Mars raised an eyebrow.

"We didn't get to go to one in October due to...ehh, circumstances, and we were bored, so we figured, why not a haunted house?" Tom explained.

"Interesting," Mars commented.

"So you guys are all like roommates, right?" Rome questioned.

Edd nodded. "Just good friends who met in school and wanted to live together."

Valentino raised an eyebrow at that, finding it a little suspicious. However, he shrugged it off, not wanting to draw attention to himself - though he probably did that exact thing considering how much he stared at the group.

"That's nice," Rome said. "Friends always have dreams of living together but you never really see it actually happen."

"So you aren't all friends who live together?" Matt asked.

Mars chuckled. "We're brothers, actually." When everyone's jaws dropped, he laughed harder. "I know, hard to believe, right?"

"I feel like your genetics are scientifically impossible," Tord remarked.

"Well, me and Val are the only natural ones here," Rome said. "Mars and Warrior have dyed hair."

"You sure Val doesn't have dyed skin, too?" Mars joked, getting a laugh out of Rome and Warrior. Valentino glared at them, prompting Mars to continue with, "Aww, c'mon Val, can't you take a joke?"

"I do not find it very funny that you laugh at my differences," Valentino replied. "In fact, I find it rather offensive."

"But it's just a joke," Rome argued.

"Was it a joke when a certain someone did even worse things to me for the same reason?" Valentino pointed out, his voice hushed but loud enough for his brothers to hear.

His comment quickly shushed his brothers, leaving an awkward tension in the air to fill up the silence. Edd, Tom, Matt, and Tord shared confused glances.

"Why are you darker, anyway?" Tom asked.

"Geez, Tom, you can't just ask someone why they're darker," Tord remarked sarcastically. Tom elbowed him. Edd glared at them, making them stop their silent fight.

"Our father was Mexican," Warrior explained, sounding bored. "So we're all mixed. Valentino got most of the darker genes, while we ended up being whiter."

"Warrior's only pale because he spent every day cooped up in his room fixing every crooked frame and studying whatever the hell for hours on end," Rome chimed in.

"At least math takes more skill than whatever things you accomplished," Warrior shot back.

"Sports take skill!" Rome argued. "They require coordination, balance, and heck even math is used in sports! Take that!"

"Guys, calm down," Mars scolded, saving everyone from having to stare at the bickering boys awkwardly with no idea of what to do. "We're here to have fun, not yell at each other."

"Yeah!" Matt agreed. "We should keep having fun and then get to exploring this place! We can't go around having a negative attitude." He thought for a moment, then added quietly, "Plus, the sooner we get out of here, the sooner I get to go home to my mirrors..."

Valentino suddenly burst into laughter, startling everyone. He seemed almost maniacal, gripping the side of the counter to keep from doubling over. When he was finished, he choked out, "Get out? That is the funniest joke I have heard in several years."

His brothers stared at him, then looked at each other with fearful glances.

"What do you mean?" Matt questioned, fear flooding into him. The others nodded, anxiety flowing through their veins.

"Oh, I do not know." Valentino snapped his head over to look at Mars. "How about you explain?"

The four teens looked over at Mars expectantly. He had a split second where his face contorted in fear, then anger, but it eventually switched to naive confusion.

"Welł, it said on the forums, you know," Mars responded, avoiding having to state exactly what was going on.

"We couldn't access the website or forums or any information whatsoever," Tord replied.

"Oh." Mars averted his gaze. "It just uh...it said that people get trapped here, y'know? With no way of escaping?"

"What?" Tom said, shocked. "Why the hell would you come here knowing that?!" 

"More importantly, why didn't you tell us this before?!" Tord nearly shouted.

"We thought you knew!" Rome tried to explain, his voice getting a little high due to anxiety.

"And we thought it was a joke, that whole scary 'oh you're gonna be trapped here' spiel that never actually happens," Mars added.

"So we're never gonna get out of here?" Matt whispered, the information finally sinking in.

"Come on, this has to be a joke, right?" Edd had a forced smile on his face, clearly trying not to panic. "Someone - try the door, or something."

Tord nodded, turning and reaching for the doorknob. Tord pulled on it, though his effort was in vain. He tried instead to push it, but the door wouldn't budge. Tom kicked the door to no avail. Mars looked at Valentino curiously, but he shrugged. Mars then glared at the brunet and turned away. While he wasn't looking, Warrior smirked over at Valentino, making him only more confused.

"What the hell's with this door?!" Tom yelled, pounding on it to try and make it open.

"You're trapped here," Rome said simply. Mars glanced over at him with a stern expression. Rome smiled nervously.

"You couldn't have told us that before we stepped into this fucking place?!" Tom shouted, whipping around to glare at them.

"Again, we thought you knew," Rome repeated.

"That is an even worse excuse than saying you forgot," Valentino grumbled.

"Quiet, you," Mars hissed.

"You always hush the one who is right," Valentino muttered.

"You're so self-centered," Warrior sneered.

"Oh, really?" Valentino moved away from the front desk and stood near the middle of the room. "I am the self-centered one when you three have won so many awards and medals and accomplishments to the point of your heads being twelve times bigger than your own...ugh!"

"Wow, you can't even insult us correctly," Mars scoffed.

"I despise your level of vulgarity," Valentino stated.

"Come on, you've said worse than that," Mars said, getting off the counter to stand beside him. Rome and Warrior followed suit.

"You are so worried about my language that you cannot even worry about the situation you are putting them and ourselves into," Valentino remarked, narrowing his eyes. "Very suspicious."

Mars, Rome, and Warrior looked at each other for a fearful moment. Valentino smirked, knowing that he was right. Edd, Tom, Matt, and Tord, meanwhile, were wondering whether to say something or continue having silent mental breakdowns due to being trapped here for presumably forever.

"At the very least you could inform them of what else you 'thought they knew'," Valentino continued, turning away and crossing his arms with a huff.

"Wh-What else is there?" Matt asked, his face drained of all positivity he once had.

"Well, apparently this place changes shape or whatever," Rome began.

"You can open a door several times and it will always reveal a different room," Warrior continued for him. "The hallways are never the same. Ghosts roam throughout the place. Challenges are set for you to make sure you never get out."

"Challenges?" Tord echoed.

"Yeah, I have no idea what it means by that but I'm sure it's fun," Mars remarked.

"So fun that we'll never leave," Edd remarked sarcastically.

"Come on, lighten up," Rome scoffed.

"How are we supposed to be happy when we're fucking trapped here?!" Tom shouted, his anger boiling to the surface. "How can you be so calm in a situation like this?!"

Suddenly, the bell from the front desk erupted in a loud ding. Everyone turned to look at it. They caught a glimpse of a white figure jumping away from the desk and running down the hallway, childishly laughing all the while. They continued staring at where it had gone for a bit. Fear had flooded all of them - except for Valentino, who seemed to be the only one to maybe know what was going on.

"I think that's our cue to leave," Warrior suggested.

"Yeah," Mars agreed.

Rome merely nodded and headed for the hall. Mars and Warrior followed without so much as a glance back. They all stopped at the entrance and waited for their brother. Valentino, however, stayed behind. He turned towards Edd, Tom, Matt, and Tord again. His eyes bored into them, bringing chills up their spines and flame to their cheeks. He seemed to stare straight into their souls, digging into every fibre of their life and pulling them apart to inspect every detail. All they could do was stand there, frozen. They almost felt as if they couldn't move, or even breathe.

Finally, he declared, "Even if you cannot see us, we will be with you every step of the way." With that, he stepped back towards the hallway. "Good luck," Valentino wished them before disappearing into the hall. Warrior followed behind him. Rome ran into the hallway, passing by Warrior and almost knocking him over. Mars waved and turned to walk into the hall, leaving Edd and his group in the main room. The four looked at each other and to the hallway. They glanced back at each other. Edd nodded at the other three, who nodded back at him. Edd led the quartet into the hallway, where it was much darker than the main room. Edd could barely even see his friends around him.

"I think we should sit here and let our eyes adjust so we don't have to feel along the wall for everything," Tom suggested.

"That way, we won't trip on anything," Matt agreed.

"And we won't accidentally grope each other," Tord added.

"...Right," Edd replied, sounding uncomfortable.

While their eyes adjusted, they looked around the hall. Doors covered the walls. Twists and turns were at every bend of the hall. No windows could be seen.

Must be why this place is so dark, Edd thought. He figured they were on other floors.

"Considering I can actually see a meter in front of me now, I think we can start exploring this place," Tom remarked, bringing Edd out from his thoughts.

"Yeah." Edd stood up, as did the others. "I think to make this a bit more efficient, we should split up."

"But Edd, haven't you seen all those horror movies?" Matt argued. "It's always bad to split up, because it's way too easy to get injured or killed..."

"You mean like this?" Tom snuck up behind Matt and grabbed him, making Matt scream.

"Guys, stop," Edd told them. "I think it would be better to split up because there's so much of this place to explore. We can just meet up somewhere and tell everyone what we've found."

"Way ahead of you!" Tord called from the other side of the hallway. He turned a left corner and disappeared, leaving Edd alone with Tom and Matt.

"I think I'll be leaving now, thank you," Tom announced. He headed down the hall and took a right turn.

"I suppose I'll be leaving, too," Matt avowed. He walked down the hall, going straight this time.

Edd stayed where he was and turned to the door on his left.

"Well, here goes nothing," he told himself, putting his hand on the cold doorknob.


	4. Dimensional Drifting

Edd tentatively opened the door. A girl with red hair and brown eyes stared at him. She adjusted her cranberry-colored tank top and blinked.

"What the hell are you doing in my house?" she asked.

"I don't know you!" Edd told her in a panic. "I'm just in this hotel and I opened this door and..."

Edd cut himself off as the girl suddenly clawed at her eyes. She dug her fingers deep into her sockets, gooey sounds erupting from underneath her hands. Edd watched in silent terror as she removed her hands from her face, revealing empty and bloody sockets. Her eyes were now stuck into the palms of her hands. The eyes blinked and stared at Edd.

Horrified, Edd slammed the door before she could do any more damage. He composed himself, turned around, and opened a door there. Once again, he saw the girl wearing red, but now she was on the ground and being stabbed repeatedly by a man who was completely purple. Blood pooled under and around her. Stab wounds covered her abdomen.

The man must've heard Edd gasp, because he turned towards Edd with completely white eyes. He slowly stood and walked towards Edd. In response, he slammed the door closed and put his back against it to stop the man from getting through. Nothing stabbed through the door. Nothing pounded on the door. With a deep breath, Edd moved up a few doors and opened one there.

A gray tabby cat, whom Edd recognized as his own cat named Ringo, sat in front of the door, tail curled around his legs. Rocks, presumably part of a mountain or cliff, surrounded him. Upon seeing Edd, he yawned and stood up. Meowing, he turned tail and ran away.

"Ringo, don't leave!" Edd ran into the room, following Ringo. Just as he reached Ringo, he heard the screech of some kind of bird. He looked up and saw a giant bird circling around them. Suddenly, it swooped down and Edd identified it as a vulture. Ringo ran towards the edge of the cliff, away from Edd. The vulture followed and landed on Ringo, grasping him in its large talons.

"Ringo, no!" Edd screamed, running to the edge of the cliff.

From the great height at the vulture was flying, Ringo meowed loudly, pleading for help from Edd. Unfortunately, all Edd could do was scream and watch as Ringo was carried away. The cat struggled in the bird's grip. It turned around, coming back towards Edd. He became hopeful - maybe the bird would bring back his cat.

It was then that the vulture released its grip on Ringo. The cat became a blur as it plummeted, screeching, to the bottom. Edd looked over the edge of the cliff to watch as Ringo became a mess of fur, blood, and organs on the rocky ground below. The vulture flew down to the cat's corpse and picked at it. Other vultures noticed this and swooped down to steal the meal.

Edd turned around and held back the bile rising up his throat. His throat felt hot and he choked back tears. In the burning sun, he sat and hoped that Ringo was still alive back home.

*

"Fuck this."

Tom opened the door in front of him with no hesitation. Inside was a single chair, with a single girl - or a very long-haired man, because Thomas Ridgewell doesn't fucking judge hair lengths - sitting on a chair. She - or he, but we know her gender somehow so it's a she - had her back turned to Tom. He frowned, wondering who this was.

"Hey, you!" Tom yelled to her. She didn't turn around. Tom figured she didn't hear him, so he cupped his hands around his mouth and tried again.

Still, she didn't turn.

"Are you deaf or something?!" Tom shouted in frustration.

In response to that sentence, she whipped her head around. She had no face for a total of two seconds. Her skin ripped apart at the bottom of her face, turning into a sinister and entirely black mouth.

"I assure you, I am not deaf," the girl responded in a soft voice. She stood up and walked towards Tom, the smile sticking to her face.

"An ignorant and mortal being such as you would think something of the sort," she spat, saying "ignorant" as if it hurt her to say it. Close enough to Tom to touch him, she flicked his chin with a single index finger.

"Now, do you wish to insult me again?" She raised an arm high in the air, turning it into a sharp blade.

"Yeah, have fun fucking yourself with that blade for an arm!" With that, Tom slammed the door and laughed.

"Which door next?" he asked himself, glancing around at the dozens of doors around him. He picked one at random and pulled it open.

Flashing lights burned into his skull. He squinted, trying to close the door. A force from the room kept it open, the lights boiling him like harsh sunlight. With enough effort, he was able to close it. The lights kept flashing in his mind, blocking his sight. He rubbed his eyes and shook his head to get rid of it.

Tom turned to another door. He placed a hand on the doorknob, cold seeping into his body. He shivered and opened the door, just to get this over with.

Inside was a writhing mass of maggots covering a body bag.

Tom choked back a sound of disgust and hesitantly walked into the room. The maggots didn't seem to notice him. Looking closer, he found that they had dozens of eyes lined along their bodies, all looking at their prey. They also had sharp sets of fangs sticking from their front ends.

"Alright, shoo," he commanded the creatures as if he expected them to follow his orders. One of them hissed at him, but the rest continued munching along. With an exasperated sigh, he brushed a handful off of the bag and pulled it up.

A rotting corpse lay there, empty sockets staring at the ceiling. Goop still stuck to the edges of the sockets, having once been its eyes. Its mouth gaped open in a silent scream, dried tongue still sticking out of it. Plump, tick-like maggots walked out of the eyes and mouth, having eaten their fill.

"Holy fuck!" Tom shrieked, stepping backwards and almost tripping over his own feet. He noticed maggots crawling up his legs and on his shoes. He slapped them off and kicked his legs around to shake off the rest of them.

"This is disgusting," Tom declared to himself. "This entire hotel is fucking disgusting. I bet this is how they get their sick kicks, with these 'jokes.' I'm getting out of this room. Nope. This is gross."

With that, he stepped out of the room, glad to be away from the sight.

*

"I can't do this."

Matt turned away from the door he was about to open. He shook his head and shut his eyes tight.

"I don't know what's behind that door," he told himself, "but I must open it."

With a deep breath, he turned back to the door and pulled it open. A boy stood there, hands clasped to his chest and eyes closed. He looked peaceful, smiling faintly. A quiet humming sound came from him. A sparkling waterfall stood behind him, pouring into a pool surrounded by rocks at the bottom of it.

"Hello there," Matt greeted the boy with a smile.

The boy opened his eyes...and water poured out of them. He opened his mouth, which flooded the room with water. Horrified, Matt closed the door before the water got to him. He stepped back a few paces, shoes making squishing sounds in the puddle left leaking from under the door.

Scared for his life, Matt turned to another door. He placed a shaking hand on the doorknob and slowly opened it. A meadow of flowers stood before him. A cool breeze wafted through the air to him. In the middle of the grass, a bunny girl sat and sniffed a flower. She opened her blue eyes and looked up at Matt. She smiled, buck teeth showing from under her lip.

"Hey there!" Matt called, waving to her. The girl stood up, her ears flopping, and waved back. She wiggled her nose at him and stepped forward. In the next second, the meadow lit itself with fire. It swallowed the bunny girl. As she burned to death, she cried for help, her eyes wide and pupils contracted. Her form distorted and melted in the harsh flames. It licked at her skin and tore off her bunny ears, burning her hair up from the tips to the roots. Finally Matt shut the door, the scream playing itself in his mind over and over.

"I'm betting this last door will end up taking my life," Matt commented to himself as he opened a third door. This room also contained a meadow along with a sparkling lake, but instead of a bunny girl, there lay a white horse. It stayed in the grass, sniffing at flowers with its gray muzzle. It shook its dark mane and stared at Matt with big brown eyes.

"Aww..." Matt squealed at the sight of it and looked around the room. It wouldn't hurt to go inside, right? he thought. He took a few steps inside, wasn't hurt, and continued towards the horse. It snorted at him and stood up. He laughed and pet its neck gently. It nickered as he did so.

Soon Matt found it more difficult to stroke his hand down the horse's neck. He opened his eyes and found the horse started turning black, trapping his hand in the darkness. He pulled his arm, but couldn't get it unstuck. He looked at the horse's face and screamed.

Its face was disfigured, eyes white and bulging. Its mane and tail were reduced to curly wisps of dark, disheveled hair. The entire bottom portion of its mouth was missing, the face ending in only teeth. It started walking towards the lake, dragging Matt along with it.

"No!" he cried, trying to pull himself from the horse's body. It dragged him into the lake, Matt struggling the entire way down. He screamed, his voice distorted, and bubbles floated to the top of the water. He sucked in a breath, gulping in an unhealthy amount of water. The horse swam further down, the water darkening. Matt now couldn't see much of anything - though he would probably see better if his vision wasn't darkening due to lack of air. With a last pull from the horse, he passed out and, unbeknownst to him, became unstuck from the horse.

As Matt's body reached the surface, it flipped over and air reached Matt's lungs once more. He coughed, the sun hurting his eyes. Realizing he was still alive, he swam to the shore. Grabbing handfuls of grass, he pulled himself onto the ground. He coughed violently, spitting up water. Matt pulled his entire body out of the water and stood up on the ground, wavering a bit. He headed towards the door with one last comment to the room.

"That is something I have never experienced, and never want to go through again."

*

Tord stared up at the door in front of him. He chose it because it seemed larger than the others and stood out from the rest. Figuring it was special or had something special behind it, he decided to open it first.

"Well, here goes nothing," he stated. He pushed at the door. Nothing happened. He took the door handle and pulled the door open. "Sunshine, Lollipops, and Rainbows" began playing from the room. Tord immediately slammed the door shut.

"I'm off to a great start," he proclaimed sarcastically, turning to another door. Opening it, he stumbled upon a dark-skinned man with a skunk tail. He was on his knees, his head facing the floor. Unable to see his face, Tord couldn't identify the man.

"Yo, who are you?" Tord called to him. The skunk-person picked his head up, his rounded ears twitching. His face was horribly disfigured, twisting and turning as Tord stared at him. He shut the door and walked to another one.

Tord took a deep breath and opened the door, expecting something horrifying. Instead, there sat a lavender-shaded wolf girl with her back to him. She played a violin wonderfully, hitting every note perfectly. As she played, she twitched her wolf ears and wagged her tail happily. Tord smiled, liking the sound of her playing. He stepped into the room to get a closer look at her and to hear the violin better.

As soon as he did so, the girl stopped playing. She turned her head completely around, her body not moving. Suddenly, her body ripped apart, leaving only her head. Long, spindly legs grew from her new stump of a neck. She crawled over to Tord.

"Goodbye, spider-wolf lady!" Tord yelled, leaving the room in a hurry and shutting the door behind him.

By now, all four were wondering how much of these antics they would have to put up with.

 


	5. The First Challenge

This was not normal. That much was obvious. A normal hotel wouldn't spawn these kinds of things. Heck, even a normal haunted hotel wouldn't do this. So what was happening? Well, they didn't quite know.

The only thing they knew was that they had to get out of here. Quickly. And alive. Surviving was probably the most important thing of getting out. They just didn't know how to get out, nor did they know the way back to the front door anymore. The halls turned into a labyrinth. Retracing their steps did not work, and going every which way just led them into several different unfamiliar patterns. Obviously this was going to be difficult.

And what made this more difficult was that time was ticking away. A deadline had been set, and a voice coming from seemingly nowhere but yet everywhere at the same time made this very clear.

"Attention, you four! I think the others have made it clear that you will face challenges while in this hotel. They know not what the first challenge is, but I am here to announce that it has been set. You now have twenty-four hours to find each other and arrive at the front door, or severe consequences will await you. Good luck..."

* * *

"That's definitely enough time."

With a skip in his step, Matt walked along his strip of hall. He smiled, running along happily to find his friends.

"Twenty-four hours is so much time!" he exclaimed to himself. "More than enough time to find them all. We'll be fine."

He continued heading down the hall, hope swelling in his chest and bubbling over the edge of his heart. Unfortunately, as soon as it had started flooding, doubt appeared and murdered every last bit of hope he had left.

"But that's only a day, right...?" Matt asked himself. "A day isn't that much time."

As he stood in the middle of the hall and stared at the ground, a sliver of hope came across the crime scene and rejuvenated the land of hope.

"No!" Matt yelled, his voice echoing off the walls and bouncing back into his head. "That's certainly enough time. I'll find them. I know I will."

Green jacket flaring out in the air behind him, Matt began speeding down the hallway, on his way to find his friends.

* * *

"Twenty-four hours..." Edd mumbled to himself.

The boy walked down the dimly-lit hall, unknowingly clutching himself as if he were shivering. His eyes darted from side to side, looking at door upon door. It seemed quite the feat to build so many doors in a single place. He wondered if the constructors had wanted this place to look so crowded. Of course, these were just random thoughts to get the weight of the situation off of his mind. This did not last very long.

"Twenty-four hours!" Edd shouted. Stopping in the middle of the hallway, he continued speaking to himself, as that was the only person he had at this moment. "That's not nearly enough time to catch up with everyone!" He began running, feet thumping along the hard wood loudly.

"Tom!" he called. "Matt! Tord! Are you out there? Can you hear me? Oh, this is no good. I won't find them in this short amount of time...Or will I?"

He stopped again. "Surely twenty-four hours is long enough. It's got to be. They're playing easy for a first challenge." He calmly walked along the hall. "I'll be fine. They'll be fine. We'll meet up, we'll get out, and we'll all be together. It will come true if I just believe."

* * *

"Fuck!"

Tom's fist plunged into the wall at the force of a dozen horses colliding at the end of a race track. When it bounced back, he held his fist in pain, but tried to ignore it. Biting the inside of his cheek, he ran down the hallway.

"Twenty-four hours to find everyone else isn't enough time!" he yelled. "Edd, Matt, Tord, you better fucking be safe! I'm finding you and I'm getting you all out of here whether you're alive or not!"

Heartbeat pounding in his ears, Tom sprinted down the hallway, searching for any sign of his group. Despite the pain forming in his legs and lungs, he continued running and searching for them. Once he had run so long he could not breathe, he leaned against the wall and caught his breath.

"Edd..." Instead of being able to yell, he simply whimpered his name. "Matt. To-" His voice cracked in the middle of his words due to his throat being completely dry. He tried to run again, but his legs refused and sent him sprawling onto the ground. He got up once more, trying to run, but only walked a few steps and leaned against the wall. He slid down the wall and pulled his knees up to his chest. Defeated, he sat there, waiting for the others.

* * *

Another bang sounded against the wall as Tord collided with one. Of course he didn't mean to, but he was just running so fast he didn't have time to stop himself before running into the corner. He continued running, his hoodie strings threatening to fall off at the speed.

"Edd!" he called. "Tom! Matt! Where are you? If you can hear me, shout for me!"

No response called back.

"You guys!" he shouted once more. "Edd, Tom, and Matt! Come out from wherever you are!"

Silent nothing. That's all there was ahead. Tord stopped to catch his breath for a few moments, looking for his friends. However, the entire effort was all in vain.

"Dammit," he cursed. "They must not be able to hear me. Doesn't mean I should stop looking, though." He continued walking, pacing himself as he headed down the hall.

Suddenly, he heard a voice. It wasn't very intelligible, but still, it existed. He headed towards the direction of the sound.

"Edd, is that you?" he asked. Hope flew into him, urging him to run. "Edd!"

He stopped short upon seeing the source of the voice.

A dinky table stood in front of him. On top of it lay a voice recorder, repeating his friends' voices.

Angry, Tord slammed a fist on the table. The force caused the voice recorder to flip and fly off the table, breaking on the hard wood flooring. Tord stared at it disgustingly for a few moments before breaking back into a run and continuing his search.

* * *

By now, Matt wasn't sure whether it had been minutes of searching or hours of searching. While clocks existed here, they all told different and crazy times. One said the time was 17:85 RM. Another read 19:33 vFR. Some even had endlessly-turning hands faster than time should ever move, with a few going backwards. If it was some kind of code, Matt certainly didn't understand it. What he did understand was that he had not yet completed the challenge.

"Edd, T-Tom, Tord..." Matt tried to yell, but his voice came out in a choking whisper. He coughed and held his throat, feeling the throbbing pain. He tried to call out their names once again, but his voice didn't work.

He sighed and turned an empty corner into a hall of statues. In the middle of it all stood a grand knight statue wielding an axe. The others held spears or swords. Matt brushed past them, feeling cold stares on his back. He stood in front of the knight statue with an axe.

"Maybe if I just wait here," he began quietly, "I'll be able to find them." However, it seems the world didn't like his choice of fate. Unbeknownst to him, the statue behind him lifted its axe silently.

With a swift motion, the knight swung down the axe. Matt's body was neatly sliced in two. The axe crashed into the floor with a loud thunk, blood covering its sharp end and dripping onto the floor. For a few still moments, Matt's corpse stood upright just as the alive him had. Suddenly, it fell back and landed on the axe handle. Leaning against the knight, his corpse sat there, looking eerily alive.

* * *

Edd nonchalantly turned a corner and headed into a very short hallway - without doors, he noted. Perhaps he was getting close to the front door. He turned the next corner, bumping into a statue holding a spear, into a slightly longer yet still short hall. The rest of the hall contained nothing but statues holding either swords or spears. The only exception was a single statue in the very middle, wielding a grand axe. 

The problem was that this axe now lay in the floor, the sharpest end having broken through the wood. Blood dropped off of the end of it and pooled below it. For a few moments Edd felt that this was some sick joke, until he noticed a familiar pair of shoes.

"Matt!" Edd cried, heading over to the axe. "Oh, you don't know how glad I am to...see...you."

His words came out straggled as his eyes skimmed over the rest of Matt's body. It lay hunched over, leaning against the knight statue. His once-bright blue eyes stared up at the ceiling, dull and glazed over. A thin line of red squished out of his body, running all the way from his head to his legs.

"M-Matt...?" Edd reached out an arm and gently grabbed Matt's shoulder. Cold ran up his arm and delved straight into his heart. Letting go of Matt, he stepped back a few paces...and his heart just about stopped at the sight that came before him.

A sucking sound of hot, fresh blood pulling away from flesh and organs echoed throughout the hall as an entire half of Matt's body fell off and landed on the ground. Crimson poured out of it, organs threatening to pile over the sides of skin and clothes. Even the bones were neatly cut in two. Edd stared in front of him, unable to take his eyes off the terrifying sight - although he wished greatly he could do so. After several heart-pounding moments, he found his voice.

And he screamed. Screamed as loudly as he could. He felt as if his lungs and throat would break apart, but he kept screaming and crying for Matt, for Tom, for Tord, for anyone, and for him to just wake up and be home.

As Edd did this, he stepped backwards right into the horrible fate that the world gave him as well. A sharp pain stopped his screaming, silence cutting through. His vision swimming and a line of blood dripping out of his mouth, Edd looked down. A spear poked out of his abdomen, a few intestines trailing with it. As his vision went black, Edd wondered just why this was all happening.

* * *

Having regained his composure several hours ago, Tom continued through the halls. He noticed that a while ago, the doors had stopped appearing. He took this as both a sliver of hope and a word of caution. He turned a corner, eyes darting from wall to wall for any sign of more doors. However, upon coming across another corner, he stopped short.

A statue stood in front of him with its back against the wall, facing the side. It held out a spear, and a certain someone stood impaled on the end of it.

"Edd!" Tom hurried to the front of the statue. Edd stared back at him, his green eyes completely devoid of life. His face was stuck in a frozen scream. Tom pulled at his friend's arm, trying to rid the body of the horrible pain of being impaled. His efforts were futile and he soon gave up.

Turning around, Tom came across another mess. Half of Matt sat balanced on the handle of an axe. The other half lay on the ground in a puddle of blood and organs. Tom didn't stick around to stare at it. Instead he bit back a horrified cry and headed down the hall, turning another corner.

A thump sounded behind him, willing him to turn around. Nothing was there, but the wall looked slightly dented. He turned back around and continued on his way. Another thump alerted him. Once again, nothing was there, but another dent was in the wall. Tom went over to the dents and investigated them. Ordinary oval-shaped dents. Nothing else in the hall seemed touched, so he turned back around and started on his way through the hall.

Before he could do so, a thump sounded in his brain. A metal baseball bat thunked itself into the back of Tom's head, the blow killing him instantly. The same dents on the wall had been imprinted into his skull. The wielder of the baseball bat watched as the unknown intruder fell to the ground. She looked down at his unmoving body and shivered.

* * *

On his way to find his friends, Tord had broken several more voice recorders. He seemed to be stuck in a perpetual loop of these sick jokes, as it had been happening for hours. Or at least, what seemed like hours. Finally he rounded a corner and, before he knew what was happening, came across a familiar body.

Edd. Impaled on a statue's spear. On the outside, Tord took it like a soldier and walked away unfazed. On the contrary, his insides tensed and his heart shriveled. To his left lay Matt's body torn in two. His heart cracked and his eyes began to sting, but he turned away so he wouldn't have to keep looking at it. Upon seeing Tom lying on the ground face-down, he was broken into pieces. A girl crouched next to Tom's feet, hugging a bloody baseball bat as if it were the only thing she had left after a horrible disaster. With deep brown eyes, she looked up at Tord.

"I'm sorry!" she cried, fear and guilt engulfing her voice. "I didn't mean to hurt him! He- I- no, they forced me!" She clapped a hand over her mouth. "I...I've said too much!" She disappeared into smoke before Tord could even get a word in. Questions filled his mind as he continued down the hall.

A piece of wood fell on his head with a satisfying bonk. Tord looked down at the splinter-sized wood, having landed on the floor. He shrugged to himself and continued on. Another piece of wood fell on his head, this time causing pain. He rubbed his head and stared down at it. Once again, he started turning a corner when yet another bigger piece of wood crashed down, narrowly missing his head, which would've surely killed him. Instead it came down on his shoulder, ripping his clothes and definitely breaking his arm. Holding it in pain, Tord seethed and stepped down the hall.

One last piece of wood fell from the ceiling. This time, it was larger than Tord's body, and the boy couldn't possibly have gotten out of the way of it. It crushed his body, leaving only his broken arm untouched and out of the rubble.

At least now they were reunited.


	6. All An Illusion

When the darkness faded and gave way to the dimly-lighted hotel foyer, Edd felt very confused. His friends sat around him, looking just as confused. Standing up, Edd looked around, his vision still swimming and black around the edges.

"Augh, my head," Tom groaned from a corner of the room as he stood up.

"Are you guys alright?" Matt asked from another wall, looking like a kicked puppy.

"Yeah, aside from the fact that my whole body feels like it got crushed," Tord replied as he stood. A sickening crack came from his right arm as he stretched it upwards. Edd just about snapped his neck when turning his head to stare at the scene, but his arm looked perfectly fine.

"It's all an after-effect of the illusion," a familiar voice called from the hall. The four looked towards the hall to see Mars, Rome, Warrior, and Valentino standing there. They walked forward a few paces, Mars at the front of the group.

"After-effect of the illusion?" Edd echoed.

Warrior laughed, "All deaths are illusions in this place." Mars elbowed the shorter boy in his ribs, making him choke out, "Except for the real ones."

"Nice explanation," Rome began. "What he means is that you will die many times in this place. It's part of the challenges. There are two types of real deaths, however. The first is if you lose your sanity. Essentially you kill yourself, and you will never come back to life. The other is if you try to get through that door just there. You know, the front door, the door you came in through-"

"I think they get it, Cole," Mars interjected.

"How many times do I have to tell you not to call me by my middle name?" Rome asked. "And that's the shortened version, anyways. Colosseum is my real middle name, so call me that if you insist on calling me my middle name." 

"It's just brotherly love," Mars responded.

"More like brotherly teasing," Rome muttered.

Before Rome could continue, Tom interrupted, "How do you know all this?"

"Again, all the information is on the Internet," Rome sighed, sounding irritated.

"We couldn't fucking get to the website or gather any information," Tom growled.

"Not my fault," Rome dismissed.

"I'm starting to think that this whole website thing is just a lie," Tord commented. Edd, Matt, and Tom nodded, boring holes into Rome with their eyes. Valentino joined in. Rome looked around, getting a bit anxious.

"Now, you don't need to be so ridiculous." Mars stepped in to give Rome some relief. "Why would we lie to you?"

"There's a lot of possible reasons," Tord pointed out. "After all, we hardly know you. You could be anyone."

"A stranger wouldn't go out and hurt a stranger," Mars responded. "What sort of motive would there be in that situation?"

"Fun," Valentino said, making Mars turn to look at him. "Psychopaths have fun finding people they do not know so they can torture them without feeling bad. Then again, a psychopath feels no emotion anyway..."

"Come on, Val, you know I'm not a psychopath." Mars chuckled nervously.

"I'm getting out of here," Tom said. "The Internet stuff is bullshit, the being trapped here for eternity is bullshit, and you guys have gotta be on drugs or slipped us drugs or something. Let's go." He turned towards the door, his hand reaching for the doorknob. Mars, Rome, and Warrior's eyes widened. Valentino gasped, stepping forward.

"Wait, don't!" Valentino yelled, balling his hands into fists. A rose-colored forcefield suddenly wrapped around the door, making it so that nobody could ever open it from the inside. Tom staggered backwards, staring at the forcefield in surprise. Mars, Rome, and Warrior whipped their heads around to glare at Valentino, who was turning pale. The brunet lurched back, almost losing his balance. He laughed nervously, moving his hands up to his chest as if to prove his innocence in some strange fashion.

"What the hell did you just do?" Mars questioned.

"Th-The door..." was all Valentino could respond with before shaking his head. "I-I-I thought they were...I thought you were going to-"

"They wouldn't fucking die that early, are you stupid?" Mars interrupted, his voice gradually raising in volume.

"Well, considering you have sociopathic tendencies, I-" Valentino tried to say, but Mars cut him off once again.

"If there's anyone here who's a sociopath or psychopath or whatever deranged word you want to use, it's you!" he shouted.

Valentino clamped his mouth shut, his face draining of all emotion. He suddenly frowned, with a cold look in his eyes.

"Of course you would say that about me," he hissed.

"Yes, because we've experienced it firsthand," Warrior replied.

"When?" Valentino's eyes seemed to glow. "When have I ever tried to hurt anyone and showed no remorse for it? I know I am messed up, but I would never do something like that."

"You almost hurt Tom back there." Rome used his thumb to gesture towards the boys. They stared at the brothers awkwardly, having been standing there the whole time. Valentino looked over with confusion etched into his features, then turned, glaring, back to Rome.

"I was trying to save them all from your blood-stained hands!" Valentino yelled. "You would have let them walk into danger and laugh as they suffered! I know, because you have-"

"Shut up!" Mars screamed, suddenly bringing his hand up and slapping Valentino on the cheek. Everyone flinched at the loud smack it made. Edd looked over at Matt, who had his hand raised to his mouth. Edd got his attention and mouthed, 'Are you okay?' Matt nodded, though he didn't look alright. Valentino reached his hand up to his cheek and stared at Mars, who glared back down at him. Valentino's surprise melted away into anger.

"You are not a human being," Valentino growled.

In a burst of anger, Mars wrapped his hands around Valentino's neck. The brunet let out a choked cry and reached his hands up to Mars's wrists, trying to pull them off. However, his efforts were fruitless. Mars only gripped tighter. Valentino tried to breathe or yell out, but all he could do was stand there and let his tears roll down his face, his mouth moving but only silence leaving. Rome and Warrior were frozen in alarm for a few moments before coming to their senses.

"Mars, that's too far!" Rome cried. He and Warrior ran over to either side of the brothers. Rome pulled on one of Mars's hands, trying to pry it away from Valentino's neck. Warrior did the same with Mars's other hand. Not much changed, even with their help.

For a split second, Edd wondered if the teens would not succeed and Valentino would fall victim to the hands of his own brother. However, Tom brought him out of his thinking by grabbing his arm and dragging him over to Matt, who was already trying to pry Valentino away from Mars. Edd, Tom, and Tord joined in, pulling on Valentino's shoulders. After several heart-pounding moments, the two groups flew out of each other's arms. Valentino landed on the floor with Edd, Tom, Matt, and Tord, nearly falling straight into them. Mars, Rome, and Warrior managed to stay standing. The ginger and blond dragged the redhead down the hall, who kicked and struggled, screaming about murdering Valentino later.

While Edd's group stood up, Valentino stayed on the floor and backed up into a corner. He hugged himself tightly, shivering and sobbing. He mumbled something repeatedly to himself, though he was so quiet the group couldn't hear. Matt hesitantly walked over to him and crouched down to his level.

"A-Are you alright?" he inquired.

"Of course he isn't alright, Matt," Tom answered for the brunet. "He almost got fucking choked to death by his brother!"

"I don't think Matt was talking to you, Tom," Edd told the boy to try and cease the fighting. Thankfully for all of them, Tom went silent.

Matt sat next to Valentino, who had not answered. He had stopped muttering to himself, but he still sat in the corner and shook violently. Tears continued streaming down his cheeks, dripping onto the floor and making dark spots. He gulped, desperately trying to calm himself down, but it failed.

"...Is there anything we can do to calm him down?" Matt quietly questioned his group, looking up at them with sorrowful blue eyes. While the others thought of a way, Matt looked back at Valentino and noticed all the tiny details about him.

There were hand-shaped bruises wrapping around Valentino's neck from the attack. His cheek was also a little red from the slap. However, what Matt wasn't expecting to see were several different scars, bruises, and other marks dotting Valentino's skin. Some were on his face alongside the teardrops, most gathered around his eyes or on his cheeks. A few trailed down from his neck, the skin of some wounds looking like it had the consistency of rubber. The most, however, were on Valentino's hands. Many of them seemed to be stacked up on his knuckles or disappearing in a pattern down his sleeves. Matt frowned in worry. However, before he could say anything about them, Valentino clasped his hands together. Miraculously, the marks disappeared.

Matt trailed his eyes back up to Valentino's face and flinched. Valentino was staring directly at him, and Matt figured he had been staring this whole time. He was blushing rather hard, though Matt didn't know why.

"Ehh, sorry," Matt said, his own face flushing a bit.

Valentino didn't say anything. He only averted his eyes. Matt pouted and turned away, wondering what to do. A lightbulb went off in his head and he turned back to Valentino with a smile. The brunet flinched, surprised at how quickly Matt turned his attention back to him. Matt realized that Valentino must have been staring at him again since he was so quick to scare from Matt's actions, but brushed away the thought.

"What do you call a bear with no teeth?" Matt asked.

"Depressing and close to death?" Valentino guessed, raising an eyebrow.

Matt's face fell for a moment, but he regained his composure and continued, "A gummy bear!"

Valentino didn't even smile. Matt sighed sadly and turned away.

"I don't think jokes will heal a betrayal," Tom called.

"I know!" Matt whined. "But I don't know what else to do..."

"How do you usually deal with your problems, Valentino?" Edd asked, stepping over to him and Matt to hear him more clearly.

"Run away," Valentino answered. "Yell at myself. Curl up in a ball and cry. Eat so much that I get sick." He played with the edge of his sleeve and concluded, "Other things..."

Edd clenched his teeth and looked over at Tom and Tord. They shrugged. Edd let out an exasperated sigh. Everyone could tell he was as stumped as Matt was. He walked back over to Tom and Tord. The three sat down, deciding to relax instead of do anything of importance. They pondered possible ways of cheering Valentino up, but couldn't think of anything. Matt continued sitting next to Valentino, also wondering how to make him feel better.

Valentino, meanwhile, stared at Matt. He studied the array of freckles on Matt's face and the ever-so-blue eyes that reminded him of a robin's egg. He looked at Matt's zany hair, wondering how it was able to stick up like that and how natural that carrot-orange color was. He soon realized that Matt could possibly feel his eyes on him and looked away, his face heating up. He stared at the ground instead. At least it couldn't judge him for looking at it all the time. He let out a sigh, stretching out his legs and moving his arms to either side. His actions seemed to startle the others, as they weren't expecting him to move. Glancing at them, he mumbled an apology and looked back at the floor.

After several moments of swimming lazily in his thoughts, Valentino focused back on the real world. The silence was deafening. He couldn't even hear his own heartbeat or breathing. He felt like he was in another world.

And he was, in his own strange way.

His eyes widened when he realized the world spinning around him. He tensed up, backing into the wall harshly. The back of his head slammed against it, making him clench his teeth in pain. He watched, frozen, as the spinning patterns across the walls transformed into faces. They pushed against the walls, trying to burst out from them. Their words were muffled by the cover of the room, but Valentino could tell what they were saying.

_"Why would you hurt us, Valentino?"_

_"Why would you leave us, Valentino?"_

_"Why didn't you save us, Valentino?"_

The voices amalgamated together, making an indecipherable noise inside of Valentino's head. He couldn't tell what they were saying anymore. All he knew was that they were all accusing him of something. He couldn't handle it.

"I'm sorry," he tried to say, but he couldn't even hear himself say it beneath the waves of voices. When the voices kept yelling louder, he shut his eyes and cried out, "I'm sorry!"

"Valentino!"

Valentino opened his eyes to see Matt staring him straight in the face. He yelped and slammed back into the wall in fear. Matt flinched, his eyes widening.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," Matt apologized. "You just weren't answering us."

"Yeah, is something wrong?" Edd asked. "All you were doing was mumbling something."

"We've called your name like five times," Tom added.

"S-Sorry, I just..." Valentino looked away, still shaken up. "I was...lost in my thoughts," he lied. "Nothing more."

The four obviously didn't believe him, but they didn't press on. They waited around, looking at the floor absentmindedly. They still didn't know how to help Valentino, but they knew they couldn't leave him there considering what just happened.

"Um..." Valentino began, gathering the group's attention. The teen brushed off his clothes to busy himself. "You guys should probably explore around," he suggested. "I will just be here. In the corner. Waiting. Safely."

Edd looked at his friends. Tom shrugged and walked over to the forcefield. The others soon followed. Tom stood at the forcefield and studied it closely.

"So where'd this thing come from?" Tom questioned, almost to himself. "What's it made out of?"

Valentino tilted his head, then waved around his hands and answered, "Magic."

"Very funny," Tom muttered sarcastically, though the others were inclined to disagree as they chuckled at Valentino's sense of humor. Matt, for one, was glad that Valentino was finally cracking jokes, even if he had a completely straight face while doing so.

"Did you make this, Valentino?" Edd questioned, gesturing to the forcefield.

"How would I?" Valentino inquired back.

"Holograms?" Tom suggested.

"You can pass through holograms," Valentino pointed out, "and I would not suggest trying to pass through that thing. Besides, I would have some remote or timer in order to turn that thing on. Do you see any technology around it?"

Tom frowned, looking around the base of the forcefield for anything that would project it. Tord stared at the ceiling, searching for projectors, timers, or remotes that could've created it.

"Besides," Valentino continued, "that kind of technology requires an extreme amount of engineering skill that my brain simply does not have the capacity to comprehend. I prefer things like fine arts or chemistry, anyway."

"Did you use elements to create it?" Tord questioned.

"In order to create that sort of color, you would need a liquid solution of strontium chloride," Valentino explained. "You would also need to heat it to the point where the solution would become gaseous. I do not have that sort of solution nor the heat to create it for such a time. Plus, it would still be fire. That forcefield is not fire."

By now, they were all out of ideas. Valentino only stared at them, searching for any inkling of a lightbulb going off in their heads. The insides of his chest clenched tightly together with anxiety. However, they didn't seem to have any clue what was going on. Valentino let out a deep breath, his body relaxing once more.

"So how do you guys know the concept of time in this place?" Matt questioned. "All the clocks here say ridiculous times."

"It is currently January forty-second, two thousand and twenty-one," Tord joked.

"What?!" Matt sounded terribly shocked. "You mean we've been in here for six years? And they have longer months? Or have we gotten onto an entirely new planet somehow?" While Matt fretted, Valentino giggled from the corner.

"It is actually January sixteenth, twenty fifteen," he informed them. "It has only been a day since you've arrived here."

"Well, that's sort of refreshing to know," Tom remarked.

"What isn't very refreshing is the fact that we're gonna be counting down the days to our deaths here," Tord remarked, sounding almost emotionless.

"Come on, Tord, don't think like that," Edd said. "Let's just keep our heads up, alright?"

Tord didn't respond to him, but instead asked Valentino, "How can we all die here, again?"

Valentino flinched, not expecting a question being thrown at him. When Tord kept staring at him, he stammered out an answer of, "O-Oh, um, there are generally four ways. One is through murder, one is suicide, one is trying to open the front door, and the other is starvation or anything of the sort."

"We can starve here?" Matt paled.

Valentino nodded. "However, food is free. It is around...somewhere. Those causes are probably the least likely cause of death here, anyways."

"That...doesn't make me feel much better," Matt admitted. The others nodded. Valentino shrugged.

"So this forcefield appeared because we tried to open the door?" Tord concluded.

"Yes," Valentino immediately answered. "I would not want you to die."

"You just admitted that you created this thing," Tord replied, staring straight at Valentino.

Valentino paled. He tried to bring every limb of his closer to his body to make himself smaller. Tord glared at him, but Valentino didn't even make a sound. Eventually the red-hooded man rolled his eyes and turned away. Valentino let out a breath.

The group went back to investigating the forcefield. Edd terribly wanted to know what would happen if you were to touch it, but was too afraid of the possible outcomes to do it. Tom and Tord looked wary of it, still trying to figure out how it could've appeared. Matt looked hopeful, having an idea.

"I wonder if you can jump into it," he spoke, trying to be quiet, but speaking loudly with excitement. Before anyone could stop him, he took a running start and leaped onto the forcefield. The forcefield stayed still for a few breath-holding seconds before launching him backwards into the wall. The others stared at his collapsed body in alarm.

"Do not hurt yourself!" Valentino cried, rushing over to help him up. "Are you alright? No cuts? No scratches? No injuries? No fatal wounds?" He hurriedly checked the ginger over, seeming a bit over-protective at this point. "Oh, joy, you are okay."

"Uh, right." Matt headed back over to the group. Valentino, looking slightly hurt, walked back to his wall and stared at the group, most likely making sure they didn't ask for a death wish again. Edd looked back to the forcefield.

"So this thing just bounces you back as soon as you touch it," Edd murmured. He hesitantly put an arm onto the field. It immediately flew back, taking his body with him and almost making him fall over.

Suddenly, Edd felt like there was a cut in time. Almost as if time had stopped for a few seconds, but he never experienced the stop. As soon as the feeling started, it stopped.

"Oh, do not fall!" Valentino appeared behind Edd and pushed his body forward, rooting his feet to the ground once again.

"What was that?" Tom questioned, standing up from the base of the forcefield.

"I don't know what you're talking about, but I think I felt it, too," Tord commented. "Almost as if time had just paused for a few seconds."

"I had that happen to me, too," Matt added. Edd directed his gaze to Valentino. The others followed his eyes.

"I did not feel a thing," Valentino chimed in. "It must have just been you guys. Some sort of glitch in the matrix thing, as they say, I suppose." He laughed nervously, but trailed off as nobody laughed along with him.

"Valentino!"

The teen tensed and quickly turned. He let out a sigh of relief upon seeing Warrior standing at the base of the hall.

"You did not have to yell," Valentino said. "I am right here."

"I've been standing here for ten minutes," Warrior replied. "I figured you'd notice me earlier. Anyways, Mars is subdued and Rome is watching him to make sure nothing happens. I came to get you back because I was pretty sure you would stick around these guys and slack off instead of doing your work."

"Oh thank you," Tord began. "I was worried we would have to stay with this weirdo." Edd shoved the red-hoodied boy with a huff, knocking him over. Valentino didn't seem too affected by the insult.

"We should head off before Rome gets on our cases," Warrior noted. He turned and started heading into the hall.

"Right." Valentino hurried over to the hall, but turned before entering it. "You guys do not need to worry about me being alright," he assured them. "Just worry about yourselves. I will be fine. Trust me." He held up a hand, signaling a wave, and disappeared into the darkness. The four left standing there stared at each other, knowing they all thought the same thing.

_What a strange character he is._


	7. Seeing Double

"Damn," Tord cursed as they started into the hallway for more exploration. "You know what I forgot to do?"

"What'd you forget?" Edd asked.

"Don't tell me you forgot to turn off the faucet before we left home," Tom interjected.

"That sounds like something I would do," Matt commented. Tom stared at the ginger, who hurriedly replied, "Not that I actually did it! I'm just saying..."

"I forgot to ask Valentino who that girl was," Tord answered. "You know, that girl with the baseball bat."

"I've seen plenty of people in this place, but a girl with a baseball bat was not one of them," Edd responded. Matt nodded in agreement.

"Well, Tom had to have seen her, right?" The group stopped walking as they contemplated this.

"I don't remember any girl with a baseball bat," Tom stated.

"Really?" Tord thought for a moment. "Well, it's possible she wasn't visible until after you were dead... She wore this bluish baseball uniform with black stripes, and a little baseball cap. She was crouching by your body and shivering, holding a metal baseball bat. She said she didn't mean to hurt you and that you were just an intruder, so her instinct told her to scare you off. She also said that she didn't want to kill you, but someone forced her to. Before I could even ask her anything, she just disappeared." He snapped his fingers. "Poof. Like that."

"That's horrible!" Matt burst out. The others nodded.

"Oh, but she did all of that on her own accord."

Startled, the group looked left and right for the voice. A figure walked towards them from the end of the hallway. Just by looking at his striking red hair, they knew immediately who it was.

"You know, I wouldn't talk about these people to anyone else," Mars chimed in. "I mean, they are all over the place. They can hear every single little thing you say, no matter how far away from you they are. Even if they're deaf, they can still hear what lies you speak. I wouldn't hurt their feelings by spreading such rumors."

"I'm not spreading rumors!" Tord exclaimed. "And I'm not lying. She truly said that."

"Are you sure?" Mars inquired, a smirk on his face. "Are you hearing the truth, or just what you want to hear? When you don't get your answers, are you forcing yourself to hear more questions or just ignoring the fact that your answers are right in front of you?" He cackled, his cold tone of voice freezing them to the bone. "I don't think you would be so confused about everything if you just stuck the puzzle pieces together. Or are you too blind to figure out which piece goes where?" He laughed again, stalking back down the hall where he came from and walking out of sight.

"It's times like this where I wish I had my gun," Tord groaned, heading down the hall. The others followed him. Very much of nothing happened, aside from the occasional comment about how this was stupid and how they wished they were home. Soon, they were interrupted by another one of those voices coming from both nowhere and everywhere at the same time.

"Good afternoon, challengers! How are you?"

There was a pause. Under his breath, Tom muttered, "Sick of your bullshit, is that good enough of an answer?"

Apparently it was, because the voice continued, "I have another challenge for you. This one will be slightly easier. Or maybe not. It all depends on you guys. Basically you must find yourself in this challenge. I know, sounds pretty much impossible. But trust me, you won't have to look too far. Good luck!"

"Good luck, my ass!" Tom shouted at the ceiling.

"Oh, this challenge is easy!" Matt clapped his hands together. "I know just how to solve this." With that, he pulled a mirror from his jacket pocket. "See? It's ourselves!"

Clapping a hand over Tom's mouth before he could make a remark, Edd said, "I don't think that's how it works, Ma- Ow!" He pulled his hand away from Tom. "Did...Did you just bite my hand?"

"Yeah," Tom answered. "What are you going to do about it, Eddhead?" Tom smirked. Shooting him a sharp glare with green eyes full of fire, Edd brushed past him and continued down the hall. Matt quickly caught up to him, while Tord and Tom slacked off at the back, glaring at each other the whole way.

"Alright guys, I say we just pick a random door," Edd stated, turning around to face the group and stopping in the middle of the hall. He stepped over to the left and grabbed a doorknob. The others followed suit.

"Now what we do we do?" Matt asked.

"We just sit here and wait for someone to rescue us, or die and decay trying," Tom answered.

"That was a surprisingly dark joke for someone like you," Tord commented from the back of the hall.

Edd sighed, "We open the door. On the count of three. One. Two. Three!"

As soon as Edd had finished speaking, all of them opened their respective door. Tord screamed and immediately slammed his door shut.

"Motherfucking Jason!" he screeched. "Why are horror movies in this place?"

"I don't know, but I found absolutely nothing," Matt responded, looking into an entirely empty room.

"Well, you still found a room," Tom said. "I literally found nothing. It's just a black hole."

"I think I found something," Edd told the group. Tord rushed over to see what Edd had found, while the other pair closed their doors and headed over.

Dust and sand poured out from the room, hot wind filling the hallway in seconds. Ahead of them stood an entire desert. A tumbleweed brushed past them, startling the group, but the nothingness seemed to expand as it tumbled out of sight. Edd took a step into the room and continued on. The others followed him, with Matt closing the door as he entered last. 

As they traveled through the dirt and sand, nothing much of interest happened other than the wind picking up every once in a while. Sometimes they would pass a cactus, other times a tumbleweed rolled past them. Tom almost stepped on a scorpion, while Tord took a turn angering a rattlesnake. While they didn't get hurt through this journey, they did get scared.

"I think we should turn back," Tom suggested, stopping. 

Edd put a hand on his shoulder. "Wait. Do you see that up there?" He pointed to a flash of green amidst the sand.

"I'm pretty sure that's another cactus."

"Then why is it wearing a hoodie?" Edd left the question hanging in the air as he walked over to the figure. With nothing else to do, the group followed him. As they stepped closer, the figure's head picked up, making them stop in their tracks. The figure turned around and the entire group gasped.

It looked exactly like Edd, save for this figure having brown eyes. He looked terrified at the sight of them and jumped back, falling into the sand. He covered his head with his arms.

"I'm not ready!" he cried. "Don't kill me already! Please, just let me say goodbye or something..."

"What do you mean?" Edd questioned.

"I'm g-getting executed this afternoon," the other Edd weeped. "I kn-know you sick people are here to d-do the deed early."

"Executed?!" Matt wailed.

"We wouldn't do that to you," Edd told the other him. He crouched down and held out a hand. The other Edd removed one of his arms from his face. However, he did not take Edd's hand and rather stood up by himself, still keeping a distance away from them.

"You aren't?" the other Edd asked tentatively.

Edd shook his head.

His other self smiled and said, "Call me Illusion Edd. I wouldn't want to have you all confuse yourselves." He laughed a bit, then fear struck his face. "Wait, what time is it?"

Everyone looked at each other and shrugged.

"Oh no..." 

Illusion Edd stared up at the sky. The sun hung low in the middle of the sky, just brushing against the right side of the sky. 

"Judging by the position of the sun..." He squealed. "Oh no. Oh no oh no oh no no no no!" 

Illusion Edd turned back to the other group, who all had the worst things on their minds. "Listen. It's afternoon already and you need to leave as quickly as you can. They're not merciful with these kinds of things. Every guest, even a passerby, will be forced into watching these kinds of things for real cheap or even free just to get them to see it. I don't want you to have to witness my inevitable fate. You just need to run."

Turning back to the vast desert before him, Illusion Edd spoke once more, so quiet that they could barely hear him.

"Don't worry. We're all going to make it out of this. Somehow."

With that, he ran away from them. They watched until he was out of sight.

"Well, I think that's our cue to get the hell out of here," Tom stated. He turned on his heel and started walking back.

"When you say get the hell out of here, I think you mean we should get the hell out of here!" Edd shouted, grabbing Tom's arm and pulling him towards the direction of the door. Eventually Tom wrenched his arm away and began running by himself. Matt and Tord followed a few paces behind the pair.

Unfortunately, they were stopped in their tracks by a man even taller than Tom. He wore some sort of medieval outfit, topped with a tall and broad-brimmed hat with a feather stuck into the ribbon. His girth matched up perfectly with his wide grin and twirly mustache. He adjusted his hat and stared at the four before him.

"Well, now if I hadda been dumber I'dda thought you were bein' chased by a wild boar," he laughed, a thick accent on his tongue. "I'mma bet y'all are runnin' to catch that execution, now ain't ya?"

"Ah, n-no sir," Edd began. "We were j-just, um..."

Matt cut him off with a fearful, "We were r-running away from the execution, actually, n-now we have to get home-"

The man interrupted him with a bellowing laugh. "That's a good joke if I ever heard one!" He continued chuckling, his belly shaking with the force of the laugh. "Now, we're here to be serious, y'all. But we can spare a little time to joke aroun' if you want. The execution ain't startin' for 'nother half hour or so." 

The man winked at them. He studied them with sparkling blue eyes, his lip twitching every now and then. A few strands of brown hair came loose from underneath his hat. He removed the accessory, revealing a large mop of receding brown hair on his head, adjusted his hair, then put the hat back on.

"So you wearing some sordda late Halloween costume or sometin'?" he laughed at Tom.

"This was how I was born, smartass," Tom replied.

"Cursin' and thinkin' you're tough, eh?" the man shot back.

"I'll show you tough!" Tom growled. The man bellowed a deep laughter as Tom glared at him.

"Now, now, calm do-" The man stopped as a shout came from across the desert. He turned towards the voice, who continued shouting. The words were intelligible to Edd and his group, but somehow the man heard them.

"It seems the execution is startin' early," the man informed them. "Follow me and we can get there just as it's beginnin'." The man started walking away.

Edd started towards the direction of the door, as did the others. They made it just a few feet ahead when the man suddenly appeared by them.

"It's time to get serious," he stated intimidatingly, his accent long gone. "You're going to this special event, whether you like it or not. I'm sure you'll be cheering by the end and if you don't, I'll give you a refund. However, it's free, so you won't be getting anything back except for your nightmares." He smiled underneath his darkness of his hat and started back towards the execution place. Edd and his group had no choice but to follow him.

As the execution ring came into view, Edd noticed hundreds - possibly thousands - attended this event. All around the ring stood bleachers, every seat filled with people. Adults, teens, even children and infants sat, not so patiently waiting for the event to start. The ring stood out itself stood out from everything, mostly because it lay empty of anything but sand. A tall line of rope surrounded it, most likely to keep anyone from getting in or out of it. On one side of the ring stood a gate instead of another set of bleachers, presumably to let the spectators in and lead in the victim.

The man opened the gate, letting Edd and them into the ring. He motioned them along the bleachers to a set of four seats and settled somewhere else with other people. The cheering crowds made Edd extremely uncomfortable, knowing what situation was going to take place.

Another man walked into the middle of the ring and all noises faded. All that Edd could hear now was dusty wind. The man cleared his throat and spoke loud and clear to the audience.

"Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen!" he announced. "Today you will be witnessing the special event of the execution of Edd...ehm...He doesn't have a distinguishable last name. Anyways, this execution will be in the style of quartering!"

The crowd roared, obviously excited at this prospect. Their eyes floated towards the gate, where four horses trotted into the ring, led by four men. Each horse stood out as a different color in the bright sun. One stood a jet black, another a deep red-brown, a third the golden of sun rays, and the last the white of snow.

"And now we introduce...our victim!" The crowd screeched and whooped, standing up as if their favorite sports team just won the big game.

"I feel like I should be at a football game and not this execution ring," Tom muttered above the roaring crowds.

Everyone's eyes darted to the gate once more, where two men led in Illusion Edd. He was chained at both wrists, cuffs tightened to his arms. Despite the sun's glare and him being so far away, Edd could make out tear stains on his own double's face. The boy caught Edd's eye and mouthed something Edd couldn't hear, but could make out nonetheless.

_"I'm sorry."_

The crowd went quiet, watching expectantly. Illusion Edd's chains were removed. He stood and accepted his inevitable fate, rather than try to get out. He was restricted once more, with ropes rather than chains this time. The ropes were tied to each of Illusion Edd's limbs. On the other end of the spectrum, the ropes were tied to each horse's neck. The announcer gave a thumbs-up and the other people, except for those leading the horses, left. He turned back to the crowd as Illusion Edd looked at the ground. Edd caught a small droplet of water fall from Illusion Edd's body to the desert sand.

"Is it over yet?" Matt asked, moving two of his fingers to look at the damage.

"It hasn't even started yet," Tom answered. Matt let out a whimper from under his palms, covering his eyes again.

"Now for the moment you've all been waiting for, folks!" the announcer shouted. "Let the quartering...commence!" He walked out of the ring, giving a motion to the men with the horses. The crowd cheered as he left, then shushed themselves as the horses started to move. Illusion Edd was lifted off the ground by the horses, each rope taut as the horses struggled to get away. He whimpered from the pain. Fire shot through his limbs and suddenly it was gone.

No, no, the white-hot pain persisted. However, Illusion Edd felt...different. He looked to his left and gasped.

Illusion Edd's entire left arm now lay on the sand, being dragged away by the frosty white horse. He felt pain in a limb no longer there anymore. The screaming of the pain overrode all of his senses. Though it sounded far away, he could hear the cheering of the crowd. He stared up at the sky, sun burning him to the core even further, and wished all of this could just end already.

The sound of snapping bones and tearing flesh in his right ear alerted him to his inevitable fate. He watched as the raven horse took off with his right leg. Hot tears streamed down Illusion Edd's face as pain filled his entire body. The crowd roared louder, wishing for death.

The next moments were quick. His last two limbs were torn off by the palomino and liver-colored horses, who scrambled to get away and get the ropes off. Once Illusion Edd's limbless body hit the ground, he was dead. Blood pooled underneath him, bright and sticky in the hot sun.

As the crowd continued cheering, Edd felt sick to his stomach. People began pouring out of the bleachers, eager to get home and relive the moment in their heads. Edd and his group were the last to leave the stadium - not because they wanted to continue watching this, but rather because they were afraid to move.

"Let's get out of here before I start vomiting," Tom suggested. The group agreed and filed out of the stadium.

As he left, Edd mouthed a last word to the poor boy, even though he knew he could not hear or see him.

_"Goodbye."_

* * *

"Well, that was tragic," Tom commented. Despite his nonchalant attitude, he looked sick to his stomach about the previous event. Edd felt the same way, as did the other members of the group, even if Matt covered his eyes during the entire scene.

"I beg to differ," Edd replied, saying nothing else more. The lack of sound entering his ears was agreement enough. The four continued down the hall, not saying a word to each other. The complete silence of the hall both comforted them and made them uneasy. Upon the sudden burst of footsteps, all of them jumped and looked all around for the source.

The time skip came back to the group and vanished immediately. Valentino appeared at the front of the group, looking dissatisfiedly at the ground.

"Shoot," he muttered. "Undershot it." He looked up and to his left and to his right, noticing the group standing there. "Oh! I was not expecting to see you around so um...soon." He looked frustrated with his word choice, or perhaps with something else. Red tinted his cheeks, hinting embarrassment. "How is the challenge going? Oh, what am I saying, of course it is going badly. Never mind that question."

"Er, yes, it's not going very swell," Edd responded.

"We watched Edd's clone get brutally ripped apart by horses," Tord said bluntly.

"Except for Matt, because he's a wuss," Tom added.

"Says the person who looks like they're about to vomit," Matt retorted.

"D-Do not argue for my faults," Valentino interjected. "It was just a question. A moronic one at that..." He started walking, passing the group. "I have got to get to some things, but it was nice seeing you again. Oh, and before I leave..." He turned back to face the group. "Something for you to ponder: How did he know your names?" He turned back and continued down the hall, vanishing into the darkness.

"How did he know our names...?" Edd echoed.

"He must be talking about Illusion Edd," Matt concluded.

"Wow, you actually said something smart," Tom noted.

"Thanks!" Matt told him. Realization dawned on him. "Wait a sec-"

"No time for arguments, we need to figure this out," Tord cut in.

"Exactly," Edd agreed. "Now, Illusion Edd never said our names. So Valentino might be talking about someone else."

"Yes, but don't you remember what else he said?" Tom added. "He told us to call him Illusion Edd so we wouldn't get confused. We hadn't told him our names, and he never said our names afterwards."

"That's terrible common courtesy!" Matt exclaimed.

As Tord chuckled at this, Edd continued, "That's so weird. How did he know our names?"

"Maybe he heard it from around the halls?" Tord inquired.

"We've never seen him around here, but then again, that doesn't mean he wasn't around..." Edd's brain racked with possibilities.

"We'll think as we walk around," Tom concluded. He started heading through the halls, the others just behind him. As they fell into step, the silence choked them again. Despite this just being a sense, Edd felt as if the silence was a real fog making it harder to breathe. Matt seemed to feel that way too, as his face went pale and his blue eyes dimmed.

"Is that them already?" Tom's voice rang out through the hall.

"We haven't gotten ready yet!" Matt's voice replied.

"Calm down, that must be Valentino," Tord's voice assured. "He must've changed his mind and is coming to help us out."

"Don't be so dense!" Matt's voice barked. "Valentino would never be on our side."

"You don't have to keep insulting him," Tom's voice interjected quietly.

"I am the leader here and I can say and do whatever I want!" Matt's voice spat. "I can order you around and I can kill you if you don't do what I ask you."

"I thought I was the leader," Edd's voice said.

"Stop messing around," Matt's voice growled.

"You're starting to sound like Valentino," Tom's voice laughed.

"I would never!" Matt's voice roared.

A puppy's whine echoed through the hall.

"That's more of Valentino's voice!" Edd's voice exclaimed.

The trio's bellowing laughter almost knocked Edd's group over.

"They're abusing puppies!" Matt shouted.

"Matt, shut up!" Tom yelled.

Silence filled the entire hotel, swallowing them. The supposed clone trio somewhere in the general area also went deathly quiet.

"That...That was them, wasn't it?" Edd's voice questioned.

"Of course it was them, you numbskull!" Matt's voice chided. "I should've stopped this when you first started making shenanigans. Get to the rooms, quickly, before they see us!"

Footsteps drew away from them, running to wherever it was they needed to be. Once the hall filled with silence again, the group looked at each other.

"What the hell was that?" Tord asked. "Who the hell was that?"

"They got my personality entirely wrong!" Matt yelled. He faced the wall and fumed about their portrayal of him. Edd tore him away from the wall and headed down the hallway. The group followed, Tom grabbing Matt from the back and pushing him towards the front.

"So you don't do anything stupid or get lost," he explained.

The group continued down the hall, trying to find doors. It seemed that all of them had just disappeared.

"Did we go the wrong way?" Matt asked. "After all, there was a split back there."

Edd nodded and turned the group around, going back to the two-way hall. They went to the left hall, finding no doors once again.

"This doesn't make any sense," Tom muttered.

"Neither do dollars," Edd replied, continuing down the hall. Tom groaned and followed him. Tord stifled a chuckle and headed over to them. Matt sprinted to catch up with them and got the joke just as he arrived, feeling tempted to go back instead of face Edd's puns. As they walked down the hall, they found a single door right smack on one side. The other walls were completely devoid of anything but their material.

The group looked at each other and back at the door. They looked back at one another once more. Tom nodded and grabbed the doorknob, pulling the door open.

A cool breeze met them, immediately putting their worries to rest. The group felt at ease as they stepped into the room.

Long grass brushed their legs. The smell of sea water wafted through the beautiful place. The sun cut through the blue, shining a buttercup yellow. The broken mirror of the sky reflected positivity, with puffy clouds representing a playful attitude. Matt walked to the edge of the cliff they stood on and stared down at the beach below.

The sand looked soft, colored the pale yellow of a young chicken. The water shone, the sun sparkling on its dancing surface. You could see right through the deep blue depths. However, they were not alone; someone stood on the beach.

"Tom, how'd you get all the way down there so quickly?" Matt asked.

"What?" Tom sounded confused. "I'm right here." He walked over to Matt and looked down to check the scene. Matt pointed to the person on the beach and Tom noticed that this person looked exactly like him, except with one more hair spike than Tom had.

"That must be your illusion self," Matt concluded.

Tom continued looking at his illusion self and noticed something very off. He wasn't moving. He wasn't breathing. He wasn't even standing; he was propped up and tied to a pole. Something poked out from his back between two flaps of skin and ragged clothes. Tom didn't stay to figure out what.

Tom heard a caw from above and looked up to see an eagle passing by. Despite it being so far up, he felt as if its amber eyes were staring straight through him.

"Let's just...move on," he told the group, turning and walking away. As he left the room, the group followed, wondering why he was in such a hurry. However, they did not ask; an assumption was enough.

Walking back into the hallway was like entering a new world entirely. Doors now lined the hall once more, and the door they just exited...

"It's gone?" Matt stared at the empty space where the door used to stand. "But...it was just there. How did it...?"

"I'm just as confused as you, Matt," Edd replied. "What kind of explanation does this have?"

"I think this hotel's sense of logic and physics are only solvable to the very smart," Tord joked. "That, or this place doesn't exist and we're all in a dream and can't wake up."

"That would be a damn terrible ending," Tom commented.

Edd just shook his head and led the group along the hall. The doors blurred together, making a mess of a memory inside their heads. With everything being the same color, the same sights they've already seen, it made the dull and gloomy atmosphere an underline of an underline. The already-described-much-too-many-times silence deafened any other sense. It buzzed and fogged the empty air.

That was when thunder struck so suddenly it scared them out of their skin. The group stopped in the middle of the hall, listening for sounds of rain. Thunder crashed once more and the hallway went entirely dark. Pitch black covered the hotel, not allowing them to see even their own hands.

"Where are you guys?" Matt's voice rang through the darkness.

"Nobody move, so we don't get lost," Tom suggested.

Edd nodded in agreement and realized Tom couldn't see him. Suddenly, light - a slight sliver that lasted for just a second - flashed somewhere. Edd walked over to the source of it, as the place kept glowing even after the light had dissipated.

"Over here, guys!" Edd called. "I found light." He waited for their footsteps to come over to him. He knew that they arrived when someone - presumably Matt as he apologized - bumped into him. Edd felt along the wall for a door and found fabric. He closed his hand around it and noticed something round under it. Nobody spoke, so he pulled on it to notice it was a doorknob.

Gray light met them. The light illuminated their faces and the fabric on the doorknob. It revealed itself to be a green jacket akin to Matt's. Edd grabbed it and looked at Matt, just barely noticing he still had his on in the darkness. He still kept it to give it to whomever had lost it.

Lightning broke the sky in half and thunder roared a second later. Rain poured down, straight lines streaking across the room. The horizon seemed miles away. Edd stepped inside, pelted by rain. He moved his hood up over his hair to protect him somewhat. The rest followed, also pulling their hoods over their heads, aside from Tom, whose hair kept him from being able to do so.

A dark shadow of a figure appeared at the edge of their vision. Despite the clouding rain, they noticed it was running towards them. As the groups got closer to each other, the lightning flashed to show it was male and looked similar to Matt. Edd's group stopped as he drew near.

"Oh, I'm so glad someone else is here," he called over the rain, sounding perfectly fine despite running. "And you've got my jacket! Thank you, I was getting cold." He stopped in front of the group and took the jacket from Edd, pulling it over his purple hoodie. Edd noticed the jacket had rounded collar points rather than the pointed ones Matt had.

"Hello!" Matt said. The other Matt stared at him, blue eyes seemingly darker. Matt held up a hand in a wave, smiling. Illusion Matt glared at him and shied away from the offending hand. Shaking off both his hood and his attitude, he looked back at Edd, Tom, and Tord.

"There's a house somewhere back down that way where we can stay and get out of this rain," Illusion Matt told them. "We should head down there so we can hopefully stay dry. I think they have a fireplace as well." He smiled, illuminated once more by lightning. In the split second that his face was lit up, he seemed suspicious - untrustworthy, even - despite his bright eyes and lingering smile.

Illusion Matt turned and led the group away. On the way there, he struck up conversation and cracked jokes, mostly about the weather. Once, however, he changed the subject entirely.

"Have you met that Valentino person yet?" he asked.

"We have," Matt replied.

"Huh, tough luck." Illusion Matt smiled, though the others couldn't see it. "He's not right in the head."

"What do you mean by that?" Edd questioned. "He's done some...interesting things, but he doesn't seem crazy."

Illusion Matt laughed. "Oh, really? Haven't you heard of his betrayal?" The word slid off his tongue like poison.

"Betrayal?" Now the group sounded interested.

"Oh, yes, the stories they tell about him and his betrayal are the juiciest ones." Amusement flicked off of his words. "According to them, he's killed many, refusing to give them mercy. He lies to his brothers, he has crazy outbursts, he goes into emotional states for no reason, and forgets every sin he makes. He wishes he were dead just so he couldn't hurt anybody, but he doesn't know he'll hurt more people in that state than he does right now. Of course, that's just the short version. They're all rumors anyhow."

"Who told you all this?" Tord inquired.

"Just a little bird." Illusion Matt chuckled. "Anyways..." He turned to look at the group, stopping them. "Not everybody is trustworthy, no matter how they may seem. Of course, that means you can't really trust me, now can you?" He snickered. "I'll show you great examples. You'll realize who to listen to. You'll realize that I'm right. That they're right. And you'll realize too late just what kind of person Valentino is."

Illusion Matt laughed silently and trembled as his laugh grew in volume. He laughed like a maniac, his eyes wide.

A flash of light cut it short.

Lightning struck, a roar of sound as thunder followed in close proximity. The bolt of light was there and gone in an instant, hitting Illusion Matt as it did so. However, as the light left, the electricity moving through Illusion Matt did not. As he was lit up like a Christmas tree from the blast, Edd and his group could see every nerve, every bone, every muscle highlighted in his body. Though this lasted for only a few seconds, it felt like hours. As the light torturing him left, Illusion Matt fell backwards, hitting the ground. He never stood up again. The storm continued on, roaring and drenching the group as they stood there.

"Well, we're only getting wetter," Tom said, turning on his heel and walking towards the door.

"Do you guys think we should trust Valentino?" Tord asked.

"He seems alright," Matt responded. "Surely he hasn't committed the acts that my illusion self says he has...right?"

"Illusion Matt said they're rumors, but..." Edd didn't know how to finish his sentence.

"We'll just have to see what Valentino says when we see him again," Tord concluded.

"Rather, what he does," Tom added. "He could easily lie. Actions are what we need to look for."

The group agreed with him just as they reached the door. As they stepped out, they noticed the hall was lit once more. The now-bright hall showed redwood walls instead of the previous pine. Had this always been the color and just shown darker due to the light, or did something change? The group didn't exactly know. Matt theorized that they rebuilt the hotel while they were in that room, but Tom immediately shot it down with some factual evidence Matt didn't really understand. As they continued along, they realized one thing: the next door had to hold Illusion Tord. It was only right in the pattern so far. Unless this hotel didn't like patterns, just like how it hated logic and physics.

"Hey, what's that over there?" Matt pointed out something lying on the ground next to a door. The group ran over and Tord crouched next to them.

"I'm pretty sure these are bullets," Tord answered, picking one up between his thumb and index finger. He studied it for a bit and nodded. "Definitely bullets. Our target must be behind this very door." He stood once more and grasped the doorknob, pulling the door open.

The sight before them looked beautiful. A waterfall stood to their right while an outlook of grass swished to their left. A pond below the waterfall sparkled in the sunshine, tiny waves lapping against the shore. Everything was bright and colorful, despite the horrible things that had happened and the terrible events waiting to take place.

"Don't tell me we're going to have to go under that waterfall," Tom muttered, "because I'm wet enough from the rain."

The group stepped into the room, the grass tickling their legs. As they walked to the shore, a figure appeared at the base of the waterfall. He walked out from under the waterfall, somehow completely dry despite having been just under rushing water. He waved to them, red hoodie bright in the wavering sunshine.

"Hello over there!" presumably Illusion Tord called. He walked a bit closer, blue eyes shimmering.

"Does every illusion self here make mistakes?" Tord whispered. "I don't remember having blue eyes..." Underneath his question laid a suspicious tone.

The group, other than Matt, didn't wave back. Too much had happened already to not know what was going to happen now. Might as well not get close to someone if you already know they're going to die in a matter of minutes.

"Hey, what's the matter?" Illusion Tord asked from the other side of the pond. "Do...Do you realize what's going on?"

Assuming he was talking about knowing the illusion's fate, the group nodded. Illusion Tord looked aghast.

"Oh no..." He spoke so quietly that the group could not hear a word he said. "How do they know already? They couldn't have figured it all out so quickly. I've got to tell Mars about this. Oh, what will he do to them? To me? To Val- ...Oh dear. Oh no. He must've told them, o-or given them hints... This is bad. This is very, very bad."

During his inner monologue, Illusion Tord had turned to the waterfall. Now he turned back to the group.

"Listen!" he shouted to them. "You have to get out of here as quickly as possible! You have to warn Valentino! Don't act like you know anything! Tell him about the last resort! He'll know what it means! You have to hurry, before-"

Just then, a tiger leaped out of the water just behind Illusion Tord. It enveloped its mouth around the boy's body before he could even scream. When it landed in the shallow water once more, just mere feet away from Edd and the group, it still had Illusion Tord dangling out of its mouth. It turned away and stalked towards the waterfall, prey lifeless and ceasing to struggle.

Edd swallowed bile, wondering what the poor kid was going to say. Tord reached the door before the rest of the group, seemingly in a hurry. As the four walked back into the hallway, they noticed it had changed once more. The bullets were gone and the hall was dim again. In front of them lay a long hall, wider in the middle and almost like a room, but a hall nonetheless. A familiar figure stood at the end of it, walking towards them.

"Valentino!" Tord called out to him.

"Oh, it is good to run into you guys again!" Valentino replied, running to the group. "I figured something important happened, which is why-"

"Valentino, we met someone-"

"Hush." Valentino smiled at the group. "I do not have much time to spare, and this is very important."

"But this is more important Val-" Edd started.

"Are you sure?" Valentino's stoic expression and serious tone silenced the group. His warm and comforting tone and expression returned in his next sentence. "Listen. Somebody out there is spreading lies, bending the truth. The balance of truth and lie is a deadly trap played by the game of trust. You cannot know what side of the story is true without witnessing the crime. The suspect is not always the guilty party when it comes to things like these. Believe who you wish to believe. I will not stop you from not trusting me, because I understand why you feel that way." He smiled despite the depressing tone of his parting words and turned, walking away.

"Wait, Valentino, we still need to tell you that important thing!" Matt yelled, running after the teen.

"Ugh, I don't know which of us is more moronic," Tom mumbled, following Matt. "Us for following a person who led us here or him for not listening to us."

"Illusion Tord seemed worried..." Edd remembered. "We've gotta catch up to Valentino, or-"

"He'll get hurt or we'll get hurt or we'll never get home!" Tord finished Edd's broken thought and hurried to the others.

When they made it to the end of the hall, Valentino was nowhere to be seen. Instead, two doors stood on either side of them, with a single staircase in the middle.

"Well," Tom began, "I suggest we start with a door."


	8. Urgency

Doors don't seem as intimidating when you know exactly what's on the other side of them. When something is there that you don't remember being there earlier, you most likely feel scared, maybe betrayed. Perhaps a friend pranks you or your mother moves around a few things. Maybe you come across a crime scene or a natural disaster has entered the house. It all depends on fate, really.

When you enter a place you have never been to before and each room has a new interior every time you open its door, wielding new dangers, you are bound to feel a little bit more than terrified. You may call it tragedy, others call it horror, and some say it's comedy. That's all up for you to decide. However, I think our friends disagree.

"This is horrible!" Matt exclaimed.

"I feel you, Matt," Tord replied. "This is a pretty terrible circum-"

Matt cut in with, "It's always a bad day when you lose your favorite mirror!"

"I...wasn't referring to that," Tord tried to say, but Matt was too busy complaining about his mirror.

"Can we just get back to searching for Valentino?" Edd asked.

Nobody answered. With a sigh, he turned back to the door he had been staring at while the others had been conversing. He placed a hand on the doorknob and looked back at the others. They nodded. He opened the door to reveal an entirely gray room.

"Interesting color choice," he remarked. He started towards the room when Tom stopped him.

"Wait," Tom told the eager brunet. He gestured to a point in the room. Matt and Tord appeared beside Edd to look at whatever was stopping them from going in. The crowd looked into the room to see something standing right smack in the middle of it.

"Isn't that Val-" Matt began, but Tom shushed him.

"Does Valentino have ears and a tail?" Tom questioned the ginger quietly. Matt didn't bother to answer.

The group continued staring at the figure. Eventually, it turned around and walked away, becoming a black dot in the abyss of gray.

"Let's follow it!" Matt shouted, trying to run into the room. Tom grabbed him by the back of his hoodie.

"Uh, no," Tom said, closing the door and letting go of Matt. "We're looking for Valentino, not whatever that was."

The group headed towards the next door to their right, near the stairs. Edd volunteered to open it and revealed...

"Another grey room?" Matt commented. "What is this, some sort of how not to fashion show?"

"It certainly seems like it," Tord agreed jokingly.

"Ugh, we don't have time for these shenanigans," Tom spoke up. "Let's just go to the next door."

Matt hurried over and tried pulling open the next door. It didn't open. He tried pushing it as well to no avail.

"Well that's interesting," Edd remarked. He tried out the door as well, but couldn't open it either.

Tord started opening the next door and looked inside at a sea of blue. Nothing happened with the room and nobody seemed to be inside, so he closed the door once more. He remembered that Mars' group had said that a door revealed a new room each time you opened it, so he tried opening it once more.

The room stayed the same.

"Hey, wait a minute!" Tord called to the others. "Look at this."

"It looks like a regular old room," Edd commented.

"Not that, this." Tord closed the door and opened it once more. The room once again stayed the same.

"Didn't they say that the rooms changed?" Matt questioned.

"Exactly." Tord looked inside the room to make sure nothing was in there. "Were they lying or is this place trying to trick us?"

"The other rooms don't change either," Tom said from the other end of the room.

"Has anyone checked if any rooms before these change?" Edd asked. Everyone shook their head, causing Edd to sigh. "Well, all we have now is the stairs since none of these doors gave us what we were looking for," he concluded. He looked up at the seemingly never ending staircase. No light shone from the top and darkness concealed most of the way. The group felt slightly scared, but knew they had to go up there anyways. Tom started up the stairway, Matt following, with Edd and Tord just behind them.

As they continued up the stairway, thick air surrounded them. The darkness seemed to only take place behind and in front of them, never getting more or less than a foot away from the group. Their legs eventually started to burn as they headed upwards and upwards. The stairs certainly seemed endless if they hadn't before. All of them wondered how long this staircase was and when they would finally exit it.

That is, until a voice answered their prayers.

"Hold on up there!" Valentino's voice broke through the dense air and darkness. "Edd, Tom, Matt, and Tord! Is that you?"

"Yes!" Edd answered.

"Oh dear, oh no! Um... You will be fine, just...hang on!" Valentino's words disappeared, leaving only whispers and echoes, hallucinations of the mind.

The staircase suddenly rose and shifted beneath their feet. The group wobbled, losing their balance. They held on to the railings, willing themselves not to fall as the staircase changed shape completely.

"You should've made it clearer that you meant 'hang on' literally!" Tom shouted.

"Sorry!" Valentino apologized from far below. "I did not think this would be that wobbly! Oh, what am I saying? This hotel has not been properly used since the 1800s, of course those stairs would be ready to fall any second..."

"Since the 1800s?!" Matt echoed in surprise.

As the staircase finally settled down, the group stayed where they were in fear of it moving again. The stairs had somehow formed into a spiraling case, with the bottom covered in darkness.

"Okay, you can let go of it now, but I would advise not moving." Valentino's voice seemed closer, but they still couldn't see him. "I am glad I got to you in time. Had you taken just a step forward...I would not have been able to get you out."

"How come?" Edd asked.

"This staircase may or may not be an endless time loop," Valentino answered. "The barrier to cross into it is just in front of Tom. It is invisible to the human eye, however. How...convenient."

Tom staggered backward to avoid the time loop's barrier. Valentino chuckled, laughter echoing up the stairs like a backwards slinky.

"You are lucky I got you out just before you crossed over," Valentino began. "You would have been stuck in a loop of just endlessly walking up stair after stair, with nothing to keep you alive and nobody could hear or see you anymore. Eventually you would die, but even your own spirit would be stuck in the loop and just continue walking, doomed to do so for all eternity. Horrible, is it not?"

The group nodded, with Edd inquiring, "How do you know all this?"

"Ah, there's a library around," Valentino replied.

Silence filled the realm of the staircase once more. Darkness enveloped them. Seemingly the light came back with positivity, but maybe that was just them.

"Wait, I should be getting you out of there, should I not?" Valentino realized aloud. "Hopefully it has not been too long. Eh... I would suggest holding on again, and tightly this time. You are not guaranteed to fall, but the floor beneath you is guaranteed to fall."

"What?!" Matt exclaimed.

"You're sending us to our deaths!" Tord yelled.

Valentino gave no response as the group started hurrying down the steps to avoid falling. Their balance gave way as the stairs began wobbling again and they held onto the railings despite the red flags. They tried to slowly head down the stairs with their hands still nearly merged with the railing, but the segment in front of them broke away. The entire staircase began breaking down and falling, and finally the segment they were standing on fell.

However, a rose-colored bubble opened up and concealed the group. Their stair segment fell to the invisible ground below. The group slowly drifted down to the now visible floor, the bubble breaking as they reached it.

"Well, I did not hear any sickening cracks or screams of death, so I am assuming that it worked?" Valentino spoke to himself, appearing from an unseen hall. He looked immediately relieved upon noticing them.

"Oh good, I thought you were goners," he sighed, placing a hand over his heart.

"What was that? Why were you so worried? How did that happen?" Edd felt more confused than he sounded.

"I am afraid I can't answer two of those three questions," Valentino replied, looking nervous. "However, I can tell you that I was worried because I get too attached to people, even if I have just met them. Ehehe..." He smiled anxiously. "Anyways, how have you all been?"

"Scared," Matt replied immediately.

"We've been about as fine as anyone trapped in a place like this," Edd corrected.

"I figured as much." Valentino sounded almost depressed. "I cannot help but feel bad for getting you into this mess."

"If anything, it's our fault for wanting to go here in the first place," Tord cut in.

"S-Sure, but I could have warned you or something..." Valentino looked downcast, his voice holding guilt.

"So you really knew that we would be trapped here?" Tom asked.

Valentino nodded. He turned and leaned against the wall, his eyes focused on the ground. They seemed to be holding a cloud of information behind them.

"Why didn't you just tell us that, then?" Tom continued.

"I wanted to," Valentino replied, "but there are difficult choices I must make, and that was one of them."

"What's so difficult about telling us that about our fates and letting us leave with our lives?" Tord growled.

"I thought maybe you might have a chance to survive if I listened to them," Valentino mumbled. "I did not know that we would be trapped here when I arrived." His eyes widened and he turned to the group with a scared look. His teeth were clenched together in fear. They stared at him, confused. 

And suddenly, the world was ice cream melting down a cone. Their faces melted into anger before him. He staggered back, terrified. His breaths heaved out of him and suddenly he could see every molecule and the world was frozen over. He bumped into the wall and clung to it as if it were his only tie to reality.

"Valentino?" Matt's voice was underwater. "Are you okay?"

Valentino's teeth were chattering too much for him to answer. He was too aware of his breathing and his skin felt fake.

"Calm down, please." Tom's voice was icicles stabbing into his very being. "You're scaring us."

"But you're scaring me," Valentino managed to choke out. Their forms were suddenly Picasso paintings, with everything misplaced and unable to distinguish. He couldn't tell who was speaking, but it didn't matter since their words turned to oatmeal. Pain struck his neck and he let out a strangled cry as his eyes turned to moonstones and his limbs became a pile of molten metal beneath him.

There were warm hands on his face and breath tickling his nose when reality caught up to him again. He opened his eyes and found Matt looking concerned before him, his mouth slightly open as if he had just finished saying something. The others were standing just a foot away, looking equally troubled.

"What happened?" Matt questioned.

"It happens sometimes," Valentino responded. "You do not need to worry about it."

"But it's scary!" Matt protested. "You were backing away from us for no reason and then your eyes rolled back and you just collapsed right here. How'd that even happen?"

"Hallucinations," Valentino replied simply. "Please get your hands off of my face now."

"Oh, I'm sorry." Matt obeyed, but still stayed close to Valentino. "Are you sure you're alright?"

"I feel...fine," Valentino lied.

"Really?" Tom sounded doubtful. "You've gone white as a ghost."

That made Valentino scream, which in turn made Matt flinch and back away, and look down at himself in terror. He let out a sigh of relief upon noticing that he still looked normal. He looked up to see that everyone else was now staring at him with fear and confusion in their eyes. He gulped, instinctively shrinking in on himself.

After a few uncomfortable moments of everyone glancing at each other, Tord suddenly snapped his fingers, making Valentino flinch, and said, "I just remembered that we need to tell you about the last resort!" The rest of the group nodded.

Valentino looked bewildered and almost wondered if he heard that right, still shaken up from the past experience. "What do you mean by this 'last resort'?"

Tord continued, "My illusion self told me to tell you about the last resort..."

Valentino's eyes glittered with deep hatred for a fraction of a second. The next moment, he looked surprised. "Well, I have never heard of the term before, so perhaps they were mistaken..."

"Valentino!" a voice bellowed.

For the second time in less than five minutes, Valentino shrieked. Matt scrambled to his feet to avoid getting hit by the brunet as he flailed around in an attempt to get himself up. He clung to the wall even as he stood up. He stared at the entrance to the hall, waiting for figures to come bursting in. The others followed his gaze, looking about as terrified as he did.

"Stop running away from us!" another voice yelled.

Valentino cursed a couple of times, then sidled over to the corner where the walls intersected. His limbs spidered up the wall, his body seeming as if it were floating. Edd, Tom, Matt, and Tord stared up at him in shock. They glanced at each other, all wondering what sort of strange creature he was to be able to do that. Valentino, suddenly realizing that being stuck in a corner was not the right way to run away from his problems, jumped down from the wall and landed right in front of the others, making them flinch. He quickly got up, looking at them for a brief moment before running towards the door that hadn't opened before. Tom opened his mouth to warn him, but was cut off as Valentino threw the door open. He gestured for them to go in, all the while searching for the voices in the darkness. They ran into the room, Valentino following close behind and shutting the door. He slammed his body against it, breathing heavily.

"Who was that?" Edd asked, his eyes boring into Valentino as if he could see what laid beyond the door if he looked hard enough.

"I don't think we want to know," Tom replied.

"If it means Valentino did something wrong," Tord said, "I think we do want to know."

"Maybe it's not our business," Edd suggested, trying to figure a way to avoid any conflict.

They all flinched and stared at Valentino as the brunet suddenly let out a breath and collapsed into a heap in front of the door.

"I think we are going to be staying here for a while," Valentino began, "but nobody is going to be happy about it."


	9. Unanswered Questions

"This place hasn't been used since the 1800s?" Matt asked, his voice echoing across the paint-splattered walls. The five of them had just started walking, watching monochromatic colors fly around their vision. Silence had covered them for a while, but soon questions came to light.

"Yes," Valentino answered. "Of course, it was not a hotel back then. Hotels did not exist at that time... I think. Who knows?"

"Probably the people who lived back then," Edd replied jokingly.

"That was a rhetorical question," Valentino responded.

"And that was a joke," Tom said flatly.

"...Right." Valentino sounded embarrassed. "Edd is the...prankster of the group." He almost said it questioningly.

As they continued down the hall, an ambient sound came to their ears. It soon filled their heads, not willing to leave. It started as a faint buzzing, then grew until it became an uncontrollable static that messed with their brains. Valentino, however, did not feel it at all, nor did he even hear the white noise.

"What the hell is that sound?" Tord finally inquired, covering his ears to try and get the sound of his head. He only succeeded in worsening the terrible noise.

"You hear it too?" Edd questioned. "I was wondering if I was just going crazy."

"Sheesh, it feels like my head will explode!" Matt exclaimed.

"What are you talking about?" Valentino raised an eyebrow, stopping the group.

"How do you not hear that?" Tord asked, gritting his teeth.

"Probably because his hair is filling up his ears," Tom scoffed. Even he couldn't bear the noise, though he tried not to show it.

"I am not deaf, you know," Valentino retorted, irritated. He continued along, leaving the group behind.

"Hey, w-wait-" Matt tried to run after him, but the noise persisted and stopped him in his tracks. Valentino turned his head to look at the group, then raised his left hand and waved it around.

The noise disappeared, as did the feeling.

"There, is that better?" Valentino queried.

"What...was that?" Edd blinked in confusion.

"What was what?" Valentino interrogated.

"The sound...and its sudden disappearance," Matt continued. "How did you get rid of it?"

"I did not do anything," Valentino said in a suspicious manner. "Did you not see? Now, abandon the subject. I would rather not be questioned the same things over and over again."

"But-" Matt started.

"Did I stutter?" Valentino spun and asked, his face and tone deathly serious. He almost seemed to tower over the entire group all of a sudden, making him even more intimidating.

"N...No..." Matt replied, flinching.

Valentino smiled and turned back around, leading the group around the seemingly endless room. A cloud of unease covered the group, along with thousands of questions trying to burst from their skulls. They dare not say a word, however, due to the quick personality change from the leader in front of them.

The room began to change before their eyes. The black and white paint-splattered walls changed to a smoky gray. Millions of tiny dust particles began floating around, all either red or a shade of black. Tension added itself to the already apprehensive cloud filling the room.

"What's going on now?" Tom asked, daring to break the silence with an annoyed tone of voice.

"The rooms do this sometimes," Valentino answered flatly.

The stress did not leave the group even after Valentino had finished his sentence.

"If you have any questions, feel free to ask." Valentino almost sounded nervous himself. "I will not bite, though I may not be able to answer all of them."

It almost seemed easier to breathe.

"Who is the girl that killed Tom earlier?" Tord called out first.

"Hmm?" The teen sounded quizzical about his answer.

"There was a girl that killed Tom with a baseball bat in that first challenge," Tord elaborated.

"Oh, you must mean Jacqueline," Valentino replied. "Call her Jackie if you ever see her again. She is nice."

"How did you find her?" Tord inquired without missing a beat. "And why did she kill Tom, if she's so nice?"

"When you are stuck in this kind of place, you are bound to find people, dead or alive," Valentino responded. "As for killing Tom, did she not tell you she was forced into doing that task?"

The gruesome undertone of his words set in with the pause between questions. His answers only gave them more questions and told them bits and pieces of the answer without giving the answer completely. The group just felt more confused as the room turned into an amazing skyline. A fusion of bright, shining lights and dark, impassable clouds covered their vision. The contrast between the dots of rainbows and the pitch blackness everywhere else looked beautiful. The group looked up to see the darkness fade into shades of red, orange, green, and blue at the ceiling. Beautiful seemed to be a bit of understatement; the term overwhelming fit much better for the sight.

"Is it not absolutely gorgeous?" Valentino gushed. "It seems the hotel really does give some rather peaceful memories, despite its...violence."

"How did you know what Jackie said to us?" Edd suddenly changed the subject.

"I...overheard," Valentino replied simply, sounding suspicious. "Do you mind asking deeper questions? It is pretty boring having to listen to the same babble over the same topic."

"Who, or what, runs this place?" Tom questioned.

"Now we are talking." Valentino sounded impressed. "Unfortunately, that is one of the many things I cannot answer."

"Of course," Tom muttered.

"I remember saying I was not deaf," Valentino teased, though it sounded almost like a warning.

"What did you mean when you said that nobody was going to like us having to stay in this room for a while?" Matt interrogated.

"Some people, called The Watchers, reside in this room. They do not like company, nor do they like being talked about or spoken to," Valentino explained. "You are probably wondering why the door was locked earlier, but I could open it easily, yes? That is because they watch over us. They know what is going on at any time, in any place. They knew something terrible was happening on the other side of their door, so they unlocked it just for us, and locked it again once we had all gotten inside."

"How come we didn't see these 'Watchers', then?" Tom questioned.

"The entire hotel is on their side. They do not like being seen, so the hotel makes them invisible."

"You have got to be kidding me," Tom said. "Invisibility? Really? Because of this weird hotel being in some sort of supernatural powers? That can't be real."

"Well, Tom, we've gone through some pretty crazy adventures," Edd reminded the blue-hoodied boy. "Remember when Matt was possessed by that ghost haunting our house, or when Matt and Tord became zombies? That's pretty supernatural to me."

"Plus, we've died a bunch but somehow we come back to life," Matt stated.

Valentino chuckled. "Surely you must be confusing your memories with your experiences in the hotel?"

"Nope!" Matt exclaimed.

Valentino stopped dead in his tracks, the rest of the group almost bumping into him. "...Wh...How...?" He whirled around, almost knocking the rest of the group off balance. "Are you some sort of supernatural beings?" He circled the group as he asked these several questions, studying them. "What powers do you possess? Are you like the people in this place? But that wouldn't make sense, why would Tom be a skeptic if you were all paranormal in the first place? Is he the only normal one? Do normal people not have eyes? Am I unnatural? You are confusing me!"

As Valentino paced around, Edd noticed a little strand of hair sticking up on the back of Valentino's head. Despite there being no breeze in the room, it almost seemed to quiver by itself.

"We're just normal human beings," Edd tried to explain to Valentino. He stopped and took in what Edd had said.

"Then...how?" He seemed completely uneasy.

"We're part of a cartoon on YouTube called Eddsworld," Edd stated. "We can basically go through anything and always be okay."

"Hold on, what is YouTube?" Valentino interuppted.

"It's this Internet site that lots of people use, and with several subscribers you can be famous," Edd explained. "We have almost one million now."

"One million?!" Valentino looked so shocked he almost scared the rest of them. "You mean, I am talking to famous people?! Oh my gosh, I cannot believe I stand in front of celebrities! Oh, but wait, that means..." He gasped. "I led celebrities into this terrible place! That is even worse than-"

"We're not famous," Edd laughed. "There's plenty of people with more subscribers. Like this guy called Pewdiepie. He has about 23 million subscribers now."

"Whoa..." Valentino almost didn't believe it.

"But now to us being from a cartoon..." Edd tried to begin, but couldn't think of anything else to say.

"Right now we're in a fanfiction, so I'm kind of scared about what's going to happen later on," Matt helped Edd with his words. "Fanfictions never seem to end well."

"Fan...fiction?" Now Valentino was so bewildered he couldn't really emote at all.

"I guess he's never heard of the fourth wall," Edd mumbled.

"I have heard of it!" Valentino exclaimed, indignant. "I just was not aware we were in a...fernfiction?"

"Fanfiction," Edd corrected.

"What in God's name do you read in your pastime?" Valentino muttered.

"The weird fanfictions that people write about us," Tord answered.

"At least it's not quite as weird as some other fandoms' fanfics," Tom said. "I don't think we have crazy fetishes or some shit like that in our stories."

"And that's when we look to the fanart, though I don't know why people would ever want to look at that stuff," Matt added.

"I think that is enough," Valentino interjected. "You are probably scaring the...reader." With that, he continued down the room.

Edd broke the everlasting silence with a question, "Have we completed the challenge?"

"Every challenge ends in death," Valentino replied. "You have not completed the challenge, then."

"Why does this room last forever?" Matt complained as they continued walking.

"It is The Watchers," Valentino replied. "They do not want to be seen, and they want to give us a surefire hiding place."

A crash echoed through the empty room, bouncing off the walls. The sound made the beautiful skyline fade into an abandoned city. Dust and smoke filled the air, making it hard to see and breathe.

"What the hell?!" Tom exclaimed.

Someone coughed, trying to hide their sound in Tom's words. However, they failed, and their sudden noise was heard in the silence.

"Someone is here," Valentino pointed out in a whisper, nowhere to be seen in the sandstorm. "I told you they did not want to be talked about! You four stay where you are. Do not move. Do not make a sound. This could get..." His words hung in the air like an unseen danger as he wandered off. Silence covered them once more.

The smoke and dust lifted to reveal a black hole of a room. The edges were outlined in white, ending at their line of sight. The four stared at each other, yards away from each other despite having not moved an inch from one another. They desperately wanted to talk, but Valentino's warning still rang around the room. However, the boy was nowhere to be seen.

The group exchanged glances and nodded. Edd took a step forward. Nothing happened. He took one more step forward. Once more, nothing happened. The group ran towards each other, made a huddled circle, and ran to the wall where they sat with their backs against it. The buzzing sound made its appearance, but never escalated more than a faraway fly.

"What just happened?" Edd dared to break the silence.

Silence answered him.

Edd looked around. His friends were nowhere to be seen.

"Guys?" Scared, he stood up. "Where'd you go?"

Nothing happened.

"I must've messed this up by moving or talking," Edd told himself. "I should've listened to Valentino." He started running, but went nowhere. Despite propelling himself forward, he stayed in place.

He stopped running.

"...H-Hello?" Edd called into the silence.

A door appeared a few feet in front of him, the only way out of this hell hole. So Edd did what anyone else would do in this situation.

He opened the door.

And found his next challenge.

 

 


	10. Damn Goat

You can imagine that an empty room would not be very intriguing. Despite all of the sights they had seen, Edd came across another room made of nothing but wood. Nothing resided there. It contained only walls, a ceiling, and the door from which he had entered. He looked around, stepping forward and trying to find some sort of answer - or maybe an exit. He found nothing, so he decided to turn around and try to exit.

However, as soon as Edd took one step towards that door, something locked him in place. He looked down to see cuffs suddenly around his ankles. He tried moving his arms, but chains reached up from the floor and cuffed them to his torso. He tried to open his mouth and scream. The room covered that as well, by locking a cuff around his neck to stop his breath from coming out easily. It tightened every time he tried to speak.

A whir of machinery filled the room. With the cuff around his neck, Edd could not look around to see what was happening. Cold metal pressed against his head. This can't be good, he thought. His breathing became shallow, his heart beating a mile a minute. He closed his eyes, knowing he would soon be ripped to shreds.

A click sounded, but nothing happened. Edd opened his eyes again, trying to crane his neck and see what had gone wrong. He couldn't, but tried to guess what had happened. Unfortunately, without the knowledge of what exactly was pressed against his head, he couldn't figure out what had gone wrong either. While he thought of an answer, the metal lost a bit of its weight as a few more different-sounding clicks echoed around. A spinning sound erupted and the metal pressed harder against his head. Another click, and the metal retreated once more.

Edd suddenly realized what this was. The metal pressing against his head was a gun. The clicking sounds were the failure of the gun to shoot, and the other clicks were it being loaded. Finally, the spinning was of the barrel.

This was a game of Russian Roulette, gaining bullets each time it failed. And in four more clicks, the barrel would be entirely full, and Edd had no chance of living then. The click of the gun's failure to shoot startled Edd into trying to move, resulting in the metal clasps tightening around him. He felt pain everywhere, sure that blood was being drawn from the terrible hold.

As the gun loaded, Edd counted down to his fate. He heard the fourth click of failure, the clicks of the gun being loaded with another bullet and cocked, and the fifth click. Finally, he listened to the clicks of the gun being loaded with its final bullet...

And the sixth splattered his brains against the wall.

*

When Tom found himself in a room all alone for no reason, he had a right to be angry. Where were the others? What the hell had he gotten himself into? Why was he here? What was this dastardly place known as Hotel Perlè? Who controlled it?

As the questions bounced around his skull, he found a door just standing around in the middle of the room. No walls surrounded it. There stood a clear doorframe in the wall behind it, but no door into the emptiness beyond that frame. Tom inspected around it before deciding to take the doorknob in his hand and push the door open.

There, just a few feet in front of him, was Edd. Rather, what was left of him. His body was perfectly intact, but his head splattered across the floor and wall. Blood trickled out from under him. No sign of what caused his death was left behind. All that was left was his corpse for his friends to discover.

"I should've known we would be going through this again soon," Tom muttered, to stop himself from crying out or vomiting. He walked back into the room he started in, shutting the door behind him with no glance back at Edd's mutilated corpse. He suddenly noticed a drop in temperature in his room. He looked around for the cause of it and started towards the door. When he reached out for the doorknob, it froze over.

So that's how you wanna play this game, Tom thought. He jiggled the doorknob to no avail. He tried kicking the door open, pushing it without using the doorknob, anything. His efforts were in vain, so instead he kicked a wall, sat down with his back against it, and waited his death out. He watched the entire door freeze over. He listened to the wind blow in between the icicles forming from the ceiling. He felt his entire body shiver violently, his teeth chattering. He stared at his reflection in the ice below his feet, his visible breath clouding it and freezing more ice over it.

Despite the entire room icing itself over, Tom felt a sudden rush of warmth. He gladly accepted the release from the torture. He stopped shivering.

And stopped breathing.

*

Standing in an empty room - without his mirror, no less - was something Matt did not like to do. And yet, he was doing just that. There was nothing else he really could do, as the exit led to an empty space of complete darkness. Impatient as he was, he waited for something to happen. Pacing around, he thought of where his mirror could have gone. He could've thought of something smarter, like what was happening here and use clues to get closer to the answer, but he decided to try and figure out where his mirror resided instead.

"So my mirror has been with me until after the stair incident..." Matt shook his head and placed his hands on his hips. "I wish I had some sort of tool to draw a diagram with."

A stick dropped from the ceiling, startling Matt as it clacked on the ground. He stared at it for a few moments before walking towards it and picking it up. He examined its sharp end and design etched into the side. He tilted his head to reveal the design as being a rose.

"Well, thanks, Mysterious Being Who Gave Me This Stick, but how does this help me draw a diagram?" Matt questioned. He looked at the wood floor and at the sharp end of the stick, trying to put the puzzle pieces together. As he did so, he absentmindedly fooled around with the stick, accidentally digging his finger into the sharp end. He cried out in pain and dropped it, examining his finger. A pinprick of blood trickled out from the wound. Not only that, but a splinter had lodged itself in the skin next to the wound.

"Bollocks," Matt cursed under his breath. Suddenly, an idea came to him. He picked up the stick carefully, with his right hand this time as to not damage his left hand again. He dug the stick into the wood flooring, making a small and shallow mark. He let out a small cheer, pumping his left fist into the air, and crouched down to make his diagram. He started by making a map of all the places he had been to in this hotel, and possible places where the mirror could have fallen. He finally concluded with it falling out of his pocket after the staircase fell apart, where it ended up under the rubble and unseen by anyone there.

"Now all I have to figure out is how to get back there and get my mirror," Matt grumbled. A creaky sound caught his attention and he turned his head to see a door had magically appeared out of nowhere.

"Right on time!" Matt smiled. "I guess the Mysterious Being Who Gave Me This Stick also decided to give me something to do once I had finished this task. Thank you!" He stood up and walked over to the door, noticing a cool breeze seeping through it. He put his hand on the doorknob, almost falling back from how cold it was. Shivering, he turned it and tried opening the door every which way. Nothing happened.

"Great," Matt muttered. "Mysterious Being Who Gave Me This Door, you got a faulty one." He glared at the door for a few seconds, as if that would make it open. He then tried opening it again, noticing an obvious difference in temperature coming from the door. It opened a crack this time, and Matt continued opening the door only to wish it had never appeared in the first place.

Inside the room lay Tom, slumped over with his back against the wall on Matt's left. Matt ran over to his friend, crouching down to look at him closely. Tom looked almost frozen in time. With a hesitant hand, Matt reached out and touched him. He was icy cold to the touch and his clothes damp. Despite knowing that eventually, they would be going through another cycle of death, Matt felt reluctant to go through it.

With a heavy heart, Matt stood up again and looked around to find another door leading out of this room. He knew what lay beyond it, or at least could guess who it may be and what suffering they may have gone through. Despite not really wanting to see the answer, he had a sudden and inexplicable curiosity to find out. He walked towards the door, opened it, and fought the urge to vomit.

There lay Edd, sprawled across the floor. His brains and blood splattered across the floor and right wall as well. His eyes nearly melted out of his own sockets. Flies buzzed around the corpse and organs, and maggots would soon be crawling along over him. Matt decided to close the door before he could imagine that, or even see it. No need in walking closer to the mess; Edd was clearly dead.

Back in the room he appeared in, Matt paced around and waited for his untimely death when he heard a jingling sound, almost like bells. He turned and saw a kid - as in, a baby goat - staring at him. The collar around its neck had been making the jingling sound. It bleated and trotted towards him. Matt took a half-step back, almost thinking this little thing would be the thing to murder him. In that next second, he realized that would be ridiculous. He reached out to the goat, causing it to back away and bleat...angrily? As angry as a baby goat could really muster. Matt swore he saw it frown as it bleated as well. It trotted away towards a corner of the room, bleating again. Matt tried to follow it, but something stopped him. And no, it wasn't of his own control.

Matt looked down to see cuffs around his legs. The cuffs were attached to chains, preventing Matt from walking any further. He turned and headed towards the door. Due to the chains being attached to the center of the room, he was unable to reach the door as well. With a huff, he sat down in the middle of the room. The chains made a terrible sound as they grated against the wood flooring every time Matt shifted his legs. He glared at the ceiling with the most unintimidating pair of blue eyes ever, trying to muster up as much menace as he could. Apparently, it worked, because the ceiling started crying.

No, wait - the ceiling was dripping water. Eventually, the drips turned into something akin to sprinkling rain, and soon pouring rain. In just a few moments, the entire ceiling began leaking gallons of water. Matt had to stand up in order to not get his pants soaked in the rising water, but that didn't matter because the water pouring over him did that anyways. His socks squelched as he stepped around in his now soaking shoes. Panicking a bit, he lost balance and almost fell into the water. It rose steadily, now lapping a couple of inches above his ankles and threatening to touch his knees in a few minutes. With the amount of water pouring over him, Matt couldn't see two feet in front of him. He tried to look up, the water obscuring his view and falling into his eyes, but he caught glimpses of the ceiling. Was it closer than before? It seemed to be.

As the water level found Matt's knees, the chains began to float in the water, trying to keep him suspended in the water whenever he lifted a foot to walk around. As such, it proved difficult to walk without losing balance. Now the water became as thick as a waterfall. Even moving his arm in front of him to break the stream and see didn't give much vision. The water was powerful as well, overwhelming him with pain with how many flurries of water he was taking to his head. He tried to walk over to the wall to completely see the water level and see just how much time he had left, but the chains stopped him. He could only tell the level by feeling how much water was engulfing him.

The water reached his waist. Panicking like a murderer about to get caught, Matt tried running towards where he thought was the door. In his fit, he forgot about the chains. They not only stopped him, but tripped him. Tumbling into the water, Matt flailed and dove for the surface, only able to tell where it was by the splashes of more water hitting it. He took a large breath upon resurfacing, getting another mouthful of the water pouring down. He coughed and spluttered like a dying engine, spitting the excess water out like a fountain.

This is cruel, Matt thought as he stood. He noticed the water level was rising rapidly towards his chest. Soon, it would be there, and Matt would be almost fully engulfed in water. He tried shuffling towards a corner of the room. The chains held on. He tried to kick them away. He lifted a leg and tried to move the chain from his ankle. Water dripped from his drenched leg as he struggled to push it off. He lost balance once more and fell backwards into the water. He didn't even want to bother going to the surface, knowing what was going to happen, but he did it anyways.

When Matt stood, he almost screamed. The water now lapped at his collar, collecting in the hood of his hoodie and making it heavier and heavier. He kicked his legs to float on his back in the water. He immediately realized that was a huge mistake, as the water pounded onto his most important and fragile body parts, including but not limited to, his face. He delved back into the water to escape the pain, soon resurfacing to realize the water wasn't pouring down quite as hard. However, he noticed the ceiling was definitely much closer than before.

Matt stood on tiptoes and tipped his head upwards to avoid breathing in water. The ceiling still dripped water, staring at him almost menacingly despite just being a ceiling. He tipped his head back down due to neck pain and took an accidental gulp of water. He coughed and spluttered, water spitting from his mouth. As he tipped his head back up to get air, a drop of water landed in his eye. Reflexively, he shot his head back downwards and found himself submerged in the water. He swam upwards for air and bonked his head on the ceiling.

Already, Matt thought. He wiped his eyes, the water making him tear up - or maybe that was just because of his inevitable death. He looked through the water, feeling dizzy. He struggled, willing himself to hold his breath, but his body begged for air. He finally couldn't hold it in any longer and exhaled, taking a mouthful of water. He coughed, hoping he could become a fish and breathe underwater. Unfortunately, that wasn't happening. His vision became fuzzy and blackened around the edges. He swam to the bottom of the room and stood there. He looked at the diagram he had carved several minutes earlier, which had turned into a tiny, flooding moat by now. He stared at the door to Tom's room, knowing the water would prevent it from being opened again, which made him almost smile. He watched as this blue world slowly became black.

And he floated back up to the top again.

*

Tord kicked at a pile of ash on the floor. With a stern expression, he looked back to the middle of the room. Something had made a sound there earlier, almost like rushing water, but now it was silent. He studied the room again, watching the exit door warily. He tried to open it many times, but all efforts proved fruitless.

A draining sound caught Tord's ears. He shot his eyes back towards the center of the room, where a door began to appear. As the draining sound began to fade away, the door had completely formed. Tord took a few steps forward, watching both this door and the exit door. He almost wanted to try opening that door again, but decided against it. He stared back at the new door, lying his hand on the doorknob, and pushed it open.

An room devoid of anything except for a lone corpse met his eyes. It took a few seconds to register that Matt lay face-down on the ground. Tord ran over to him, staring at the chains around his friend's ankles. He crouched down and felt his friend's cold, damp body. He recoiled, fearful of what would happen to him now.

A bleat alerted him to something next to Matt. His peripheral vision caught a brown figure walking towards him, and Tord turned to see what it was. A small goat trotted towards him, bleating in a forlorn manner.

"Eh?" Tord raised a confused eyebrow.

The goat bleated again. It used its left hoof to prod at Matt.

"Sorry, little buddy," Tord replied, standing up. "He's dead."

The goat looked up at him and bleated. Ears twitching, it folded its legs under itself and curled up next to Matt. Somehow, it didn't mind how cold and damp he was. It just wanted to be next to him. Tord wondered much about the goat before stepping towards a door in the center of this room. Another bleat made him turn his head to look at the kid. It bleated again, a surprised look on its face. It scrambled up, bleating one more warning.

"You're getting annoying, kid," Tord insulted, turning back to the door. He heard the sound of hooves colliding with wood, along with the faint jingling of bells, as he placed his hand on the doorknob. Suddenly, something was tugging at his pant leg. Almost positive Matt had come back to life, he screamed and looked down. It was the damn goat again, biting on his pants and trying to pull him away from the door.

"Watch it!" Tord demanded the goat, kicking his leg to try and get it off of him. It almost flew towards a wall, landing dizzily on the floor. Tord mumbled an apology and pushed open the door. He stepped into the room and stared at Tom's nearly-frozen corpse leaning against the wall. With a sigh, he stepped towards it and felt Tom's hand, noting how cold it was. He stepped towards the door in the center of this room, almost afraid to open it. Tord took a deep breath and opened it anyways, considering Edd's corpse for a few moments before closing the door and walking the way back to where he had found Matt.

An apologetic bleat turned his attention back to the goat. It again lay next to Matt, shivering. Tord walked closer to it, reaching out a hand. It shied away, leaning into Matt and trembling violently. He had to admit, he felt sorry for the poor kid as it bleated pitifully. It raised its front left hoof, looking undecided about where to go. It let its hoof down, deciding to stay with Matt's cold, wet corpse for some reason. It continued shivering, staring down at the floor as it lay.

Sighing, Tord walked away and listened to the goat bleat in a pleading manner as he closed the door. His back against the door, Tord wondered just how he managed to get himself in this position. He suddenly noticed pieces of wood and piles of ashes scattered around his room. Had they been there before? He shook it off and started towards the exit.

A gust of wind came out of nowhere, interrupting his action. Tord turned to look at the pieces of wood. The gentle breeze continued. Tord noticed sparks arising on the wood and before he could realize what was happening, a piece caught flames. Tord watched in awestruck terror as the flames tore apart the room, licking everything in sight. The room proved itself made of wood as the flames burned it through, leaving only ashes in its wake. Tord groped for the door handle and found his hand engulfed in flames. Shrieking, he waved it around furiously, only allowing the flame more oxygen to thrive upon. He suddenly remembered the old phrase "stop, drop, and roll" and did just that. Unfortunately, the fire was pushy and made no room for him to roll. He found himself entirely engulfed in flames by then.

Tord dared not open his mouth, but the flames had already dried it of any moisture. The smoke burned his nostrils, but it was all he could breathe. The heat made him sweat, but the fire evaporated the relief before it could cool him. He felt himself slipping away into the red and black, for that was all he could see now. He slumped down, feeling white-hot pain all over him and wishing the suffering could end already.

And fortunately for him, it did.

 


	11. A Mirror's Power

"Matt, do not move a muscle."

Matt fluttered open his eyes to see Valentino glaring at him from the wall opposite.

"Eh?" Matt moved his blue eyes downward to see his mirror balanced on his knees. He brightened up immediately at the sight of it, picking it up delicately. His entire body felt heavy and cold, making it not quite easy to move. "Ah! You found my mirror!" Matt looked up at Valentino with his shining eyes, reminding Valentino of a sunny day's sky. "Where'd you find it?"

With a tint of blush on his face, Valentino answered, "Over by the broken stairs - you know, the ones with the endless loop. I found it on my way over here."

"Thank you thank you thank you!" Matt cuddled his mirror like a long-lost relative. Valentino continued leaning against the wall, looking away to avoid acknowledging the growing blush on his face.

A giggle from Tord alerted everyone as he called out, "Valentino, don't think we don't see you blushing over there. It may be hard to see, but it's not hard to notice, especially when you try to hide it."

Valentino blushed harder and shook his head furiously as if to shake off the blush. Busying himself with random activities, he adjusted his sweater. "A-Anyways," he began, continuing to fuss with himself, "how are you all feeling?"

"Painful," Tom replied. He shivered. "Cold."

"I feel heavy and cold," Matt added. "And wet."

Tord stifled a laugh. Valentino raised a quizzical eyebrow. He caught on to Tord's joke and turned to a stern expression. However, the corners of his lips twitched.

"Disregarding the lewd double entendres," Valentino continued, "I fixed up a few things around here. Well, one thing. I think Matt should know what exactly it is."

Tord burst out laughing and fell onto his back. Valentino sighed and waited until Tord had calmed down to glare a hole into him. Still panting from laughter, Tord looked around and saw Valentino's icy brown eyes staring into him. For a split second, Tord thought he saw purple flash in Valentino's eyes. Gulping down his laughter, Tord sat up straight and looked over to Matt to avoid seeing Valentino's glare.

Everyone's gaze on him, Matt began, "Do you mean that splinter I got earlier?"

Valentino nodded, the stern expression still plastered onto his face. Despite how scary Valentino looked, Matt smiled, which immediately wiped away Valentino's stoic demeanor.

"I was wondering why I didn't feel pain there anymore." Matt smiled even wider. "So now I've got my mirror and I don't have a splinter!"

"Which means you touched Matt's corpse?" Tom looked at Valentino with a confused and equally disgusted expression.

Valentino responded, "I waited until his body had fully regenerated to fix it up. I am not quite a person to so easily touch a dead body."

"I wish you could fix up this after-death pain," Edd grumbled, rubbing his temple.

Valentino giggled. "I am not exactly a miracle worker."

"How are you not a miracle worker?" Matt shouted. "I can finally see my reflection again!"

While Valentino tried not to blush any harder than he already had, Tord recovered from his incident with Valentino and spoke up. "One question, though: What was with that goat?"

Valentino looked over to Tord and cocked an eyebrow. "What do you mean, a goat?"

"There was a baby goat hanging around Matt." Tord glanced towards Matt for a bit more elaboration. However, Matt was too busy admiring himself in the mirror to add to the conversation. Tord nudged him in the shoulder to get him to help.

"Huh? Oh, right. I saw the goat for a while as well. It just baa'ed at me and walked around."

Tord added, "It bit me and hung around Matt's corpse."

Valentino laughed at that. "Well, I do not remember animals getting in here. The forcefield is still shutting that door for us. I suppose it was an illusion. Did it ever shy away from you when you tried to touch it?"

Matt and Tord nodded in unison, though Matt's eyes never lifted from his mirror.

Valentino nodded thoughtfully. "It must have been The Watchers making an illusion. They play around sometimes. Perhaps it was the hotel messing with us, as well. No matter. It did not injure you, and we are all safe."

Tord practically screamed, "It still bit me! My pants are probably torn!"

Valentino stifled a laugh at Tord's outburst. While the red-hooded boy grumbled in the corner, Valentino turned his attention back to Matt. The boy now balanced his mirror on his knees, watching it sway back and forth.

"Be careful with that, now," Valentino warned. "Glass breaks easily."

"Yeah, and water is wet," Tom replied sarcastically. "Thanks for your input, Captain Obvious."

"I am just warning him..." Valentino looked hurt at the insult. He turned his eyes towards the ground, but out of his peripheral vision, noticed Matt's mirror in a precarious spot. "Wait! Do not drop it!"

The mirror fell.

Time seemed to stop - no, it literally stopped. The time skip happened again, and suddenly Valentino had gone from the opposite side of the room to Matt's knees in barely a second or two. He held the mirror in his hands, having saved it. He sighed in relief.

"What the hell was that?!" Tord demanded, the first one to break out of the shock.

"Seriously, what's with all these time skips or whatever they are?" Edd asked, staring in awe at Valentino.

"Captain Obvious is more heroic than I thought," Tom remarked. Edd elbowed him to stop him from calling Valentino even more derogatory names.

"How did you do that?" Matt inquired of Valentino, his blue eyes shining.

"D-Don't-" Valentino shook his head furiously. "D-D-Do n-not a-ask q-questions," Valentino stammered. "P-Please, j-j-just t-take the m-mirror b-back."

Matt hesitated, then gingerly grasped the mirror in both hands. Valentino still lay there, his head resting on his arms now that he didn't have the mirror. Matt looked at him curiously, but Valentino looked away and stood up.

"W-Well, n-now that that's o-over with-" Valentino began, still stuttering.

"What the hell did you do to Matt's mirror?" Tom interrogated, looking from Matt's mirror to Valentino and back to the mirror.

"Yeah, something's not right here," Tord added, staring into the mirror with both confusion and amazement.

"D-Did I break it?" Valentino asked quietly. Somehow, Matt heard him.

"No," he answered, turning the mirror towards Valentino. "Take a look."

Colorful images passed across the mirror's surface. The colors flickered into static and showed an image of the hotel. Four figures entered the place, opening the door...

Valentino covered his eyes. Matt turned the mirror around to see it back to normal. He looked up at Valentino, who had backed away and was still covering his eyes.

"How did...?" Edd didn't know how finish his sentence. In his mind, he blamed it on the hotel, but he still found Valentino suspicious. All four of them did. Matt placed the mirror back in his hoodie, eyeing Valentino warily. The brown-haired boy peeked through his hands, and when he noticed the mirror was gone, removed his hands.

"I suppose w-we should get back to exploring the h-hotel," Valentino began, still shaken from the experience.

"Right," Tom replied in a wary tone of voice.

"I-I could lead you all around," Valentino offered, "if y-you would like that. I do not have anything e-else to do around here."

"I think we'll be fine on our own," Edd responded, standing up. The other three with him followed suit.

"A-Are you sure?" Valentino stuttered. "I could answer your questions, a-and lead you around, and help you along. I can b-be helpful... I am useful..."

"Do you not understand a refusal?" Tom asked. "He said we'll be fine on our own."

Valentino stared at the ground. "Right. Of course you will be fine on your own. Everyone is fine with themselves and their own group. I do not have to be included. I will just be walking around on my own." He turned and rushed through the hall, taking a left turn and disappearing into the darkness.

"Don't you feel like we were too harsh on him?" Matt questioned the group after Valentino had left.

"He can handle a refusal," Tom answered.

"He didn't seem like he could handle it," Tord retorted, obviously doubting the blue-hooded boy's words.

"Maybe we were a bit too hard on him," Edd said, a tinge of regret in his voice.

"Then let's go after him!" Matt exclaimed. "We'll apologize to him and maybe he can travel with us!"

"I doubt we'll be able to find him in this labyrinth of a place," Tom argued, leaning against a wall.

"That doesn't mean we shouldn't try," Tord responded. Tom stuck his tongue out at Tord, leading the red-hooded boy to do the same.

"You two are a bunch of children," Edd laughed, walking down the hall and taking a left turn. Matt jumped up and ran after Edd. Tom and Tord pushed each other and sprinted to catch up to the other pair, glaring at each other the entire time.

As the group continued down Valentino's route, they looked around for doors. Finding none, they continued down the empty hallway before coming to a dead end. They stared at the wall for a few seconds before turning and staring at each other.

"Well, shit," Tord suddenly cursed.

"Did we miss a door somewhere?" Matt inquired, looking around nervously.

"Yeah, you did," a rasping voice called.

The group startled and looked around for the source of the voice.

"Over here," the voice continued. A figure a few feet away raised its hand. It blinked in the darkness, revealing pure white eyes. Its body was entirely shades of gray, looking ashy and made of singular little grains. Every time it moved, those grains shifted and made noises similar to pouring sand.

"Who are you?" Matt interrogated, moving defensively in front of the group.

The figure chuckled, its laugh sounding like crackling fire. "You really think you can protect your friends in this place." It shook its head. "No matter. My name is Ashton. Pleased to make your acquaintance." He gave a small bow.

Matt felt obliged to bow back, while none of the others did. They merely shrugged and walked towards him, leaving Matt to catch up and trip over his own feet. He fell face-first onto the ground. The others waited for him to scramble up off the ground and rush over to them.

"I take it you're looking for the man named Valentino?" Ashton asked. The group nodded. In the back of the group, Matt had taken out his mirror and was making sure it didn't break in his fall. Ashton noticed and stared towards the purple-hooded boy, watching his actions. The other three turned and looked his way as well. When the ginger raised his head, he flinched in surprise at the sight of everyone staring at him.

"Oh, sorry, did I interrupt something?" Matt questioned nervously.

"Not at all, sir," Ashton answered. "I'd just like to see that mirror real quick. I think I can demonstrate something."

Matt reluctantly handed it over to him. Ashton took it gently in his hands and examined it.

"Has this mirror done this before?" Ashton asked suddenly, holding the mirror up and revealing colors swirling around the edges of the glass.

"It has!" Edd exclaimed suddenly.

"Then I'm sure you'll be happy to know that mirrors do this around illusions," Ashton explained. "There's an illusion on the door so it appears camoflagued, therefore only the person who placed the illusion can see it. Mirrors act as a hot-and-cold system. The closer you are to the illusion, the more colors you see. It can even read the minds of people who have illusions on them, playing their memories and thoughts over and over again. People can also place signals on mirrors to send out emergency messages and such."

The group's eyes all shone, except for Tom's because his eyes are completely black. However if his eyes could shine, they would have right now. Ashton laughed, the crackling fire sound filling the hallway.

"Well, let's have our radar let the way to the door," Ashton concluded, turning and walking away. The group followed him. The colors in the mirror swirled around, filling the glass and becoming deeper colors. They shifted into static and images of blood-stained floors and cuts on arms. Ashton shielded the mirror with his arm and called over his shoulder, "Sorry about that. It seems whoever made this illusion has had some serious memories."

The rest of the group looked at each other. So people could make illusions and mirrors could sniff them out. But who had made this illusion, and why had the mirror been so active earlier? Why had it stopped its colors when Valentino covered his eyes? The questions bounced from person to person, and none of them could think up an answer.

"Here we are," Ashton purred as he stopped and pointed the mirror at the wall. "The door's right here. If you look at the mirror, you can see that it gives us a direct image of the hidden door." Ashton beckoned for the four to come over and look at the mirror, so they did just that. In the mirror, it showed the hall and the hidden door just in front of them.

"So how do we go through it now that we can see it?" Matt asked.

"Easy," Ashton replied. "You just..." He tapped a finger on the surface of the mirror. It bubbled up and shot at the wall, wearing away at the wood material. Finally, the door was revealed. The group watched in awe. Ashton handed the mirror back to Matt and turned to leave.

"Thank you!" Edd called after him.

"Not a problem," Ashton said over his shoulder. "Just be careful. Valentino isn't exactly a person to be completely trusted." He winked and continued on his leave.

"Why does everyone here say Valentino can't be trusted?" Matt fumed.

"Probably because he isn't," Tom responded. Matt just turned away from Tom, crossing his arms. When Tom wasn't looking, he turned and stuck his tongue out at him. Tord stifled a laugh at the sight.

"Well, we should probably open this door and get to Valentino, since that's what we've been trying to do and now we finally can," Edd stated.

"That's a very specific course of actions," Tord remarked.

Edd just nodded and pushed open the door. On the left wall sat Valentino. The poor boy had his knees up to his chest and his head down. All around him was emptiness, for the room looked just like an everyday wooden room. Even though he clearly heard the creak of the door opening, Valentino did not raise his head.

The group walked inside, looking around for any traps or illusions set around. Matt pulled out his mirror as a means of navigating. Colors swirled around his mirror, but nothing else was shown. It seemed as if the illusion didn't want to be found out, or the hotel - or whoever ran this crazy prank - just liked messing with them. As they started to continue back to their original mission, they felt eyes boring into them. They turned back to Valentino, but he had not moved a muscle. Finally, they stood next to him. Matt crouched down and placed his hand on Valentino's shoulder. The teen tensed up.

"Valentino, we came back for you," Matt told him.

"We wanted to apologize," Edd added.

Valentino still did not raise his head. However, he mumbled something incomprehensible.

"Eh?" Matt titled his head.

Again, Valentino muttered something, still too quiet to hear.

"We could figure out what's wrong with you if you could speak a little louder," Tord responded.

"H-How did y-you g-get in here?" Valentino finally said, just loud enough for them to hear.

"Ashton showed us the hidden door by using Matt's mirror," Tom answered simply. "What I wanna know is how you pulled that off."

Valentino raised his head just enough to stare into Tom's soul with his left eye. "How I pulled what off, exactly?"

"How you hid that door," Tom said. "And how coincidental-" Tom made air quotes at this word- "it was that Ashton appeared to show us the door just as we gave up."

"I..." Valentino didn't have an answer, so he just stuck his head back in between his knees and chest.

"This is more difficult than trying to get two girls to join a... Never mind." Tord looked away, nervously scratching the back of his neck. Tom shot a warning glare at him.

"Valentino..." Matt's voice cut through the silence. "Can't you just give us an answer? We won't think you're suspicious of anything if you just tell us now."

Valentino retreated farther into himself, hugging his knees to his chest tighter. "If I told you, none of us would make it out of here alive."

The sentence struck silence into the group. They looked at each other and at Valentino, who had finally decided he would look up at them. Though, his stare wasn't much worse than him not looking at them at all.

"Are you happy with this information now?" Valentino asked, sitting up completely. He noticed Matt's mirror on the ground and went pale. Matt noticed this and grabbed his mirror, placing it face-down on his lap. Valentino relaxed a little, but still glanced at it.

"Anyways," Valentino began, his eyes still on the mirror, "did you make the door invisible again?"

"I can still see it," Tord said, "but isn't that just because we're inside the room?"

Valentino went white as a ghost. "Y-You didn't m-make the d-d-door i-invisible...?!" Valentino yanked the mirror out of Matt's hands and pointed it at the door, tapping on the surface furiously. The glass bubbled up and shot at the door, oozing a purple liquid on the edges of the door. It disappeared from sight. Valentino breathed out, a sign of relief, and handed the mirror back to Matt, shaking slightly.

"Why is it so important to have the door invisible again?" Tom questioned.

"It is so important because if that door is visible to naked eye in this place, we are as good as dead!" Valentino shouted at him. "Had I not realized that the door was still visible, we would all be dead by now! The hotel is merciless, you ignorant fools! If any information gets around or illusions are not placed, no one will survive!"

Again, silence filled the room once more. Valentino frowned and stared down at the floor. He glanced over to Matt, who still had the mirror in his arms. Valentino glared at the object and put his head back down between his knees. Edd, Tom, and Tord stared at each other, trying to think of what to do. Matt, meanwhile, was more focused on why Valentino seemed to hate his mirror - and why it reacted with the brunette so much.

"Valentino, if mirrors only react with illusions-" Matt began.

"They do not only react with illusions here," Valentino interrupted, raising his head. "Before you go spouting off nonsense about me being an illusion, educate yourself. Look into that terrible thing's glass hard enough and you will see your memories, your enemies, your greatest fears. It only shuts off if you close your eyes or cover them. That is why I advise you not to look into it, and why I hate looking at it. If you so much as point it at me in order to find out what my memories are..." He left the threat hanging in the air for Matt to grasp and be terrified of.

"You're pretty serious about this," Tom remarked.

"Of course I am," Valentino replied. "I want you to live."

"What about yourself?" Edd inquired.

"...It does not really matter if I live or not," Valentino mumbled. "I am just another object on a planet of objects." As he talked, he tightened his grip on his legs and let his head fall back between his legs. "It is why I hold myself instead of other people. It is just something to hold on to, since I have nothing left. It is more difficult to break if I think that way."

"What about your brothers?" Tord questioned.

It took a while for Valentino to answer.

"They can take care of themselves," Valentino answered simply. He stood up. "Now, if you will excuse me, I really have to take my leave." He once again stole Matt's mirror and pointed it at the door, tapping it nonchalantly and waiting impatiently for the door to appear again. When it did appear, he handed the mirror back to Matt and walked towards the door without so much as a glance back at the group.

However, just before he reached the door, Valentino turned back to the group. "In case I do not see you for a while, I suppose I should say a proper goodbye. Goodbye Edd, Tom, Matty, and Tord." He suddenly realized he had mispronounced Matt's name - or maybe it was on purpose - and corrected his mistake, "I mean, uh...Matt."

The ginger laughed from his spot against the wall. "I'm fine with a nickname."

"As long as you don't start calling the rest of us Eddy, Tommy, and Tordy," Tom added.

"Hey, I'm okay with nicknames, as long as you call me Dadd-" Tom slapped his hand against Tord's mouth to stop him from finishing his sentence.

Valentino laughed nervously in response. The group waved at him, and Valentino raised a hand as another goodbye. He then walked out of the room, a few familiar voices who were calling the brunette's name echoing down the hallway.

As soon as he had shut the door, Edd said to Matt, "Seems he's taken a fondness to you."

"I wish people would give me that sort of attention," Tord muttered in the corner.

"You've got enough fangirls on your ass, Tord," Tom replied.

"You've got more than me!" Tord shot back.

"That's not exactly a good thing," Edd responded.

"I'm just hoping that whenever he needs my mirror, Valentino will take it gently rather than yanking it out of my hands," Matt confided.

"Of course!" the rest of the group sang in unison.

 


	12. A Different Point Of View

As Valentino shut the door behind him, laughter found its way to his ears. He almost stopped to consider whether to walk towards his brothers' voices, to wait for them here, or even to hide somewhere so he didn't have to deal with them. However, he knew just as well as everyone else that he couldn't back away from his family. Therefore, he walked towards the voices and almost bumped straight into his brothers.

"Ah, Valentino, there you are!" Mars greeted warmly. "We've been calling your name. Where were you?"

"Out and about," Valentino answered simply, pushing past them and stopping just behind them to turn around. "Should we not be getting to our travels?"

"Of course," Rome said. "We must be getting to exploring the hotel more."

"That isn't what we-" Mars cut in before Warrior elbowed him.

"The freaks might be listening," the blond boy whispered to him, loud enough that Valentino could hear how he talked about Edd, Tom, Matt, and Tord.

"You really think they're that close?" Mars asked in a not-quiet-enough whisper.

"You know them, following Valentino like moths to a flame," Rome remarked.

Mars laughed heartily and added, "I'd say they're more like puppies, but that'd describe Valentino perfectly!"

The entire group of them laughed, excluding Valentino. Leading them around, he frowned and almost commented on their words. He bit his tongue to keep from speaking his mind. It would do no good to people like them. He continued walking, keeping his focus on the ground in front of him instead of on his anger. A deep buzzing filled his mind, willing him to lash out - but who knows what shit would go down if he did just that?

"Val, my boy-" Mars started.

"Do not call me by that sickening nickname," Valentino interrupted, letting a little of his anger show through.

"What could hurt if I called you that?" Mars questioned. "It's nothing personal. I just need to shorten your name. Valentino's too many syllables. Mother had it right in the head when naming the rest of us."

"Hah, I suppose that means she was crazy when she named-"

"Enough!" Valentino whirled around and yelled at the group. "I do not want to hear your incoherent babbling-"

"Sheesh, do you expect us to know the full dictionary definition of every word you say?" Mars cut in. "I have no idea what the fuck you're saying half the time. Do you mind speaking actual American English for once in your life? And have you ever heard of something called a..."

"Contraction," Rome finished.

"Thank you," Mars remarked. "See? He uses the words everyone can understand and will define others. Anyways, I'm talking about shortening words with that little flying doohickey-"

"Apostrophe."

"Rome gets it again! Combining two words into one to make it a shorter word with an apostrophe. It's not difficult."

"Freedom of speech, assholes," Valentino growled through clenched teeth. He turned back around and continued walking. The buzzing in his mind grew louder, trying to force him into letting out all of anger on the offenders. He bit his tongue harder, going until he felt so much pain he could not bear the feeling. By then, a taste of iron filled his mouth. Blood. He swallowed, recoiling at the feeling of the hot liquid running down his throat. The anger in his mind flew into a frenzy, trying to take complete control. Valentino forced himself to be composed and continued walking forward, his legs shaky and his fists clenched.

"...Tom's full name is Thomas?" Rome's voice finished behind him.

With all the thoughts running through his head, Valentino had not been paying attention to his brothers' conversation. He listened in now, wondering just what they were talking about and how they had gotten to the subject.

"It would be interesting if his name happened to be so similar to Father's," Warrior remarked. "Mother called him Tom as well."

"Just because she was racist against Latinos," Valentino called to his brothers behind him.

"We weren't talking to you," Rome shot back.

Valentino ignored him, his teeth clenching and threatening to bite his tongue again. The frenzy in his head became unbearable. He tried his best to stay calm, but with all the wrath, he knew he was to give in sometime.

Suddenly, a flash of lightning illuminated the hallway through a window. Mars screeched, his voice mingled with the crash of thunder.

"Mars, get the hell off of me!" Rome shouted.

Valentino looked back to see Mars clinging to Rome and shivering, hopelessly trying to get away from the storm outside. Another flash of lightning and Mars wrapped his arms around Rome's neck, cuddling into his brother's chest. Valentino stifled a laugh.

"Do you mind stopping all the PDA?" Warrior asked. "It looks like you two are more of a couple than brothers."

"I told him to get off of me!" Rome shot back, trying to push the red-haired boy off of him. His efforts proved fruitless, as the older brother was not only taller and weighed more, but stronger and almost crushed the boy. More lightning obliged Mars to hold on tighter.

"Mars, I know you're scared of lightning, but can you get off Rome?" Warrior inquired. "We have work to do."

Mars looked about ready to punch the blond boy, but the power went out just then. The group was plunged into pitch-black darkness, with only lightning every once in a while as a light source. Mars screamed even louder at the lightning now.

"Mars, i-if you would so k-kindly get off of m-me, I think it w-would be better for both of u-us," Rome stammered, trying to crawl across the floor and away from the redhead while basically blind.

"Why?" Mars questioned simply, holding on even as the ginger tried to get away.

Rome let out a sigh and whispered something to the redhead, which made him let go immediately. Finally, Rome was able to get away and stood up, feeling around to find where he was.

Warrior let out a screech and cried, "Mars, don't cling to my leg! You scared the shit out of me."

Valentino laughed internally at this ordeal, smiling as he worked to try and find a solution to all this.

"First you guys give me the lightning job and now you bring me through the only hallway with windows during a storm!" Mars cried out. "It's so unfair!"

"Technically, you gave yourself that job," Valentino called.

"Shut the hell up, black sheep," Mars growled.

Despite the pain forming deep in his heart, Valentino continued working and tried his best to ignore the redhead. Now that he was paying attention to his thoughts again, the buzzing made itself clear: he was going to have to let all this anger out on one thing or another, and if he continued keeping it concealed, there would be consequences. However hard he may have tried, it would not stop. He looked behind him at Mars, his eyes glinting a red-violet as lightning struck again, shaking the hotel this time. Mars, however, was too busy screaming his lungs out at the lightning.

Finally, the lights flickered and once again the group could see. Everyone but Valentino flinched, trying to adjust their eyes to the new light, despite it being about as dim as the storm earlier. Valentino, however, leaned into the wall and watched the other three, glaring at them. The red, orange, and yellow of the three mixed together into a monstrous creature in his eyes. An evil, tyrannical being out to destroy everything in the world...including their own brother. That was the truth, right...?

Valentino shook his head to clear it, looking back to see the group standing up again.

"Well, we should get going," Rome said, gesturing to himself and Warrior. Valentino made his own gesture, though impolite and towards his brothers instead. Thankfully for the teen, they didn't notice, though they probably wouldn't have cared or understood if they had, since they took no effort to learn England's customs and the two fingers would just go over their heads.

"You mean to leave me here?!" Mars sounded astonished.

"That was kinda obvious," Warrior replied. "Don't sound so surprised."

"But the storm's still going on-" Mars tried to say.

"But nothing!" Warrior shouted back, his green eyes flaming with anger.

I suppose I shouldn't pay attention to their conversation until we start leaving, Valentino thought. There are too many sentence fragments for me. He stuck to the wall like a spider's web, biding his time. He listened to the red-hot anger bouncing around his mind. He wanted to give in, since the feeling was so intoxicating. Just like alcohol, he usually didn't remember much of what he had done in his anger, since all he saw was red. However, as time went on, his memory faded into his brain until it all clicked together like puzzle pieces, and he hated himself for the things he had done. It all proved a curse, though giving in to it felt joyous for a time.

Valentino closed his eyes, letting himself wander his brain. Recent memories faded in and out of his vision, reminding him of his feelings. He remembered his small time with Edd and his friends again, thinking of how much they reminded him of himself and his brothers, though they weren't quite as terrifying or intimidating as his siblings. However, a lack of interaction bothered him. Hadn't he done something before leaving that room? How did they get to that room in the first place? Something was missing...had he gotten angry at them? All he remembered was the ebb and buzz of the intoxication of giving in to whatever feeling controlled his head, and now all this that had happened. A black hole had formed in his memory, and he wasn't sure if he would get it back.

"Are you just going to nap here or are you going to get going?" Rome's voice drifted to Valentino's ears, forcing him to open his eyes. He stared at the two waiting for him at the door and started to follow them. Before they left, he turned and looked at Mars. The redhead was staring straight at him, his brown eyes glinting with a certain kind of indescribable anger even as lightning flashed behind him. Valentino's eyes shone straight back, that red-violet appearing again to try and intimidate the older boy as he turned and caught up to his other two elder brothers.

"I swear, he's into at least one of those new people," Warrior was whispering to Rome. "That must be the only reason he's even hanging out with them. No sane person would like those kinds of people."

"Quiet down, he's back," Rome said, glancing back at Valentino. They turned and smiled at him, acting innocent.

"Do not worry, I heard nothing," Valentino lied, pushing past them to be in the lead again. The anger buzzed louder in his head, almost indignant to his cool control. However, he proved himself more stubborn than that sweet, intoxicating feeling... No, he mustn't get caught up in it. One wrong move and he was dead for.

The group found themselves traveling up a hill, stuck in a cave. Darkness tried to capture them, but a small projection of light at the end of their vision gave itself away as a light source and an exit. Valentino stumbled on the rock floor, tripping over his own two feet instead of the obvious cracks, pebbles, and stalagmites scattered around the cave. Snickering sounded behind him.

As the group exited the cave, Rome gulped and stepped back. Warrior grabbed his arm and pulled him forward, dragging his feet across the new grass. Valentino wondered what was happening between the two when he realized that they were standing on the edge of a cliff. He looked over the edge, noting that the drop was at least fifty meters down. He tiptoed a few baby steps forward, looking further down to find that he had not seen the entire cliff. Another fifty meters made itself visible to him. He stepped away, too afraid to find out if the drop was even bigger than that. He turned around to see what Rome and Warrior were up to.

"Come on, it's not that big of a drop," Warrior was saying, behind Rome and pushing him ever so close to the edge of the cliff.

"Warrior, this isn't funny!" Rome cried out. "Let go of me! I want back inside that damn cave! You know I don't like heights!"

"Alright." Warrior obliged, letting go of Rome, but pushing him hard as he did so. Rome lost his balance, teetering on the edge of the cliff.

"Wait, hold onto me again!" Rome screamed, waving his arms frantically to try and regain his balance. He tried to root his feet to the ground, holding on best he could. "Warrior, help me!" His foot slipped and he started to drop.

Valentino rushed over to his older brother, grabbing his arm tightly and pulling him back up across the grass. Rome wrenched away from Valentino and ran to the safety of the cave, breathing heavily. Valentino turned and glared at Warrior. The blond boy just chuckled, shrugging the entire situation off. He stalked towards Rome.

"Sorry, kid, just having a little fun," Warrior laughed to him.

"I'm three years older than you," Rome growled.

"Whatever, we're leaving anyways," Warrior continued, walking away. Valentino followed a few steps away, looking sadly at Rome as they left.

The pair walked around the side of the cave, heading down a dark hallway almost like the cave. However, they were now walking on the regular wood flooring of the hotel rather than the stony, hard, cold floors of a cave. The floor creaked as they continued through. A few dim lights placed at an equal distance across the ceiling illuminated their way. Suddenly, something coarse and tattered smacked Valentino in the face. He grabbed the object and pulled it away to study it. In the light, he could make out that it was a rope. He looked around to find several more dangling from the ceiling. He was going to have to be careful around all this. He looked for the bright yellow of Warrior's shirt and passed him to be leader, avoiding all the ropes in the process.

As he strode through the hallway, Valentino let his mind wander. The buzzing had calmed down by now, still irritated about the previous attack on Rome, but much more tame and easier to control. His memories about being in the room with Edd and his group began coming back as well. He remembered the mirror and all its colors, reflecting a scene that he could not recall. He remembered running away into a room. He remembered picking up an object...some sort of sharp object, and... He put it to his neck...?

No, something was around his neck now. Why weren't his feet on the floor anymore? What was around his neck? Why couldn't he breathe?

Valentino went into a frenzy, panicking and kicking his feet to try and reach the ground again. He wrapped his hands around the object - the rope - wrapped around his neck, trying to get it away from him. His efforts were in vain, as the rope coiled itself tighter and tighter. Valentino felt as if his neck was going to break completely. He felt his strength ebb out of him, and he slowly stopped struggling. He became weaker and weaker, his vision going black...

The rope let go, and Valentino collapsed to the ground. He sucked in a breath, hyperventilating just to get oxygen back into him again. He rose a little, getting to his hands and knees shakily. He almost lost his balance, but used most of his strength to try and stay in that position. Breathing heavily, Valentino swallowed and stared at the ground. He suddenly cringed, noting how his saliva tasted like... Oh. He must've bit his tongue in its previous wound when he had collapsed, drawing blood once more. He coughed, watching splatters of the crimson liquid dot the floor.

"So, did you have fun hanging around?" Warrior asked behind him. Valentino turned his body around so that he sat regularly, forcing most of his weight on his hands. The blond-haired boy twisted the offending rope in his two hands, his green eyes glinting with amusement.

"I did not have any fun, thank you very much," Valentino sputtered, wiping blood from his mouth. He turned his head and spat angrily at the ground, watching more blood mix in with the clear saliva and form a small puddle on the floor. He tried to swallow the rest of the blood. With how weak he already was, he almost fainted at the pungent taste of copper.

"Sheesh, you're dirtying up the place," Warrior remarked, staring at the blood. "You're going to have to clean this all up later."

"Why did you try to strangle me?" Valentino choked out between heavy breaths.

"I think you already know the answer," Warrior answered, letting go of the rope and making a shooing gesture. "Now get out of my sight."

Valentino bit his tongue again to avoid a remark and tried to stand up. However, he collapsed back onto his backside. He looked up at Warrior pleadingly. With a sigh, the elder brother stalked over to him and held out his arm. Valentino took it gently, pulling himself up onto his feet. He looked down and smirked to himself. He had been waiting for this moment.

Holding on tightly to his blond brother's arm with both of his own, Valentino quickly spun Warrior around, smiling at his brother's shocked face. After a few spins, Valentino threw Warrior across the room. He landed against the wall, ropes cutting across his face and arms. Even from such a distance, Valentino could see the wounds opening up across his brother, knowing they would eventually bleed. Warrior glared at Valentino, his green eyes going dark with anger. The brunette simply smiled, turned, and walked away, proud of himself. In just a few seconds, he had caught Warrior off-guard and used his strength to get him his just desserts. The action had also tamed his anger. Giving in to the feeling gave him joy, and he still couldn't let go of the high he felt, even if the moment only lasted so long.

Valentino found a door and opened it, knowing what - rather, who - awaited him on the other side. A fluffy-haired teen turned, surprised, then laughed upon seeing Valentino.

"Tino!" he greeted Valentino warmly with a nickname. He ran over to the teen and grabbed his arms, kissing him on both cheeks.

"Must you do that every time we see each other?" Valentino inquired, blushing.

"It is French custom, my dear rose," the other boy replied in a mock French accent, tousling Valentino's hair.

"Rumor, please," Valentino laughed, grasping the other boy's wrists and pulling them away from his hair.

"Oh, but your hair is so beautiful and curly and soft!" Rumor grabbed Valentino's face with both hands, rubbing his cheeks. "It fits you so well, and you're so adorable, and ooh it's just handsome!" Suddenly, Rumor noticed the trickle of blood coming from Valentino's mouth. "Oh, Tino, my little cinnamon muffin, what has happened?"

"Ah, I just b-bit my tongue a l-little too hard," Valentino stammered. "I am fine, it is really n-nothing."

"You must have been tormented by your brothers again," Rumor growled. "You always hold your tongue around them. Open your mouth and let me see it."

Valentino obliged, showing off the wound to Rumor. He gasped, putting a hand to his chest.

"Oh, dear!" he cried out. "You really did a number on yourself. Would I be able to kiss it better?"

Valentino shot his tongue back into his mouth. Realizing what Rumor meant, his entire face went red. "Y-You are n-not a d-doctor," Valentino stuttered, unable to rid himself of the blush.

Rumor laughed, a bubbly sound that filled Valentino with a warm, happy feeling. "Maybe not, but I try my best." He winked at Valentino and started to walk away. "We have time to go over old memories now we have reunited." He pulled up a chair and turned it around, sitting down and facing Valentino, who was trying unsuccessfully to wipe the blush from his face. He patted the side of the chair. "Come, sit down with me," he said, gesturing to the floor.

"We really have not seen each other for a short while," Valentino responded, walking over to Rumor and sitting down with his feet touching each other. "There is not much to talk about."

"I know, but now that we are stuck in here, we have an eternity to go over all these memories!" Rumor exclaimed.

"I cannot try to be positive about this experience," Valentino replied solemnly. He held his ankles, pushing his soles together despite the pain.

"I notice you always sit down in that way," Rumor remarked. "It's quite cute."

"I am not cute," Valentino retorted, blushing and sticking his tongue out in an irritated yet playful manner.

"You are simply and astoundingly adorable, my dear crab!" Rumor shouted. He leaned over and grabbed Valentino, surprising the teen. He sat regularly in the chair, placing Valentino in his lap and wrapping his arms and legs around the teen. He then began to softly kiss Valentino's cheek over and over again.

"Rumor, I do not think this is an effective method to make me more optimistic...!" Valentino laughed, the feeling of lips against his cheek repetitively both tickling him and making him happy.

"I have to stay true to my roots," Rumor whispered against Valentino's skin, moving down to nuzzle his neck.

"I do not think the French go around kissing strangers on the street." Valentino giggled, still giddy about the kissing and now the even more ticklish nuzzling.

"But you are not a stranger to me." Rumor raised his head and smiled at Valentino.

Valentino playfully flicked Rumor's nose. "I would usually lecture you for using a sentence fragment, but I believe the kisses make up for it."

"I suppose I should be French more often, eh?" Rumor wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. "I've always wanted to teach you how to French kiss."

"I think Anastasia would not be very happy about this," Valentino warned, a tint of a blush on his cheeks from Rumor's previous sentence.

"I'm sure she'll be okay with it since it involves you, my nutcracker," Rumor replied.

"From where did that nickname come?" Valentino questioned. "Is it supposed to mean something dirty?"

Rumor laughed. "Of course not. It means you are graceful and remind me of a ballerina."

"Oh, shut up." Valentino smiled and flicked the other teen's nose once again.

"You really are crabby, though I was going for crab due to your zodiac sign," Rumor commented.

"I think that insult warrants another kiss," Valentino challenged, craning his neck and turning his head away slightly to make room for a kiss on the cheek. Rumor, however, had other plans, as he leaned down and planted his lips on the spot where Valentino's neck attached to his shoulder. The curly-haired teen froze, his face turning red once more. He felt the tips of his ears burn as a feeling similar to electricity shot through his entire body.

"I-I-I m-meant o-on t-t-the c-cheek," Valentino stammered, shivering.

"I know," Rumor chuckled as he gave Valentino a peck on the cheek to make up for it. He giggled again at seeing Valentino's blushing face. "Oh, Tino, you never fail to amuse me."

"Of c-course," Valentino mumbled, looking down to avoid acknowledging his blush any further.

"I hear some newcomers have entered the hotel." Rumor changed the subject.

Valentino gladly accepted the subject change and nodded. "There are four of them, and their names are Edd, Tom, Matt, and Tord. Edd wears a green hoodie and has green eyes and brown hair, Tom wears a blue hoodie and has light brown hair but strangely no eyes, Matt wears a purple hoodie and a green overcoat and has blue eyes and ginger hair, and Tord wears a red hoodie and has red eyes and light brown hair."

"Ah, I've seen Matt around before!" Rumor exclaimed. "He was looking for his mirror, so I gave him a stick to draw a diagram."

"...You gave him...a stick...?" Valentino spoke slowly.

"Yes. He needed to draw a diagram in order to find his mirror, so I decided to help him out. He gave me a cool nickname as well."

Valentino wrenched out of Rumor's grasp and jumped away, turning back to confront him. "That is where he got his splinter! I supposed there was a loose board or something, but no. You gave him a stick and put all of our lives in danger!"

"W-What do y-you mean?" Rumor looked scared now.

"You slipped up!" Valentino yelled. "You gave him something so convieniently, which leads him to believe this hotel goes by their actions and words! If they believe they can get everything at their beck and call, they will be led straight into danger or into the truth. If they find that out, they will not be the only ones dying!"

"Speak for yourself, then," Rumor spat, rising from the chair. "Matt noticed your marks, correct? He saw them after Mars tried to strangle you and mentioned them in front of everyone. He saw them when you five were in that room together, but he didn't mention them. You have slipped up thousands of times, and now you get angry at me for making one subtle mistake?"

"W-Wait, I-I-I d-didn't-" Valentino made a sound of frustration. "I d-did n-not m-mean to-"

"And neither did I!" Rumor shouted, inching towards Valentino intimidatingly. The latter backed up into a wall as the former continued confronting him. "I made one mistake with one person. You have made millions with each person you have seen here. You blame everyone else for your faults and you make yourself suspicious when you want everyone to trust you! What do you call a person like that?!"

"I a-am s-sorry," Valentino choked out, close to tears. "I j-just did n-not want t-to d-d-die!"

"And neither did I, nor did anyone else trapped in this damn place!" Rumor punched the wall, shaking the hotel. Valentino howled, lowering himself to the ground. Rumor glowered at him, a certain kind of anger glinting in his eyes. "Nobody wanted to be trapped here or die here! Nobody wanted to be stuck here for an eternity! Nobody wanted to have to kill themselves to escape, only to realize that even death will not end their torture! You let your guard down, and now you have to take the blame for your actions."

"I am s-so sorry," Valentino sobbed, his head in his hands.

Rumor continued scowling at him, but as Valentino's sobs grew louder, he began to regret what horrible things he had said. He strode over to the younger teen and crouched down. Through his peripheral vision, Valentino noticed him and whimpered. Rumor wrapped his arms around the brunette, pulling him into a hug. The curly-haired teen froze, but eventually relaxed, still crying softly.

"I'm sorry, my little fawn," Rumor whispered, rubbing Valentino's back. "I should not have been so rude. Come, come, now. You'll be fine."

As Valentino's sobs began to quiet down, Rumor sighed, wondering just what to do with him.

 


	13. Strange Creatures

"Wait, I think I found something!"

Edd turned to Matt's voice. He stood still, staring intently at his mirror.

The group had ventured back into the hallway after the incident with Valentino. However, once they had left, the door to the room they had previously been in disappeared. Even Matt's mirror did not bring it back. Therefore, they had decided to leave, listening and looking for any signs of activity or answers. Matt's mirror had been dormant, only reflecting their faces, until apparently now.

"I hope this is actually something and not just your eyes playing tricks on us," Tom remarked, walking over to look at Matt's mirror.

"What would you know about that when you don't even have eyes?" Tord sneered, wedging himself in between the irritated spiky-haired boy and Matt. Edd stood on the other side of Matt, giving the bickering pair a warning glance. Finally, they settled down and laid their eyes on the mirror.

Sure enough, a small dot of color made itself visible in the middle of Matt's mirror. He ran ahead of the group, waving his mirror this way and that. The others caught up behind him, right on his heels and looking deep into the mirror. They continued running, until the colors became waxy and as neon as they could become and a blast of light occurred on the mirror's surface. The group stopped, shielding their eyes. When they looked back, the mirror had become its regular silvery color again and only reflected themselves again.

"What?!" Matt screamed. He waved the mirror everywhere, spinning around with it and trying to make the colors appear again. It proved fruitless.

"Well, that was a waste of time," Edd muttered.

"You can say that again," Tom replied.

"So, what do we do now that we've lost whatever illusion we were following?" Tord asked.

"I'm going after that thing!" Matt shouted, turning to look at the group.

"It's pretty much a lost cause, Matt," Edd tried to reason with him.

"I can find it!" Matt argued stubbornly, placing his hands on his hips. "Just you watch me. I will do something useful for all of you, or my name isn't Matthew Herrgraves!" He put his arm up in the air as a sign of victory, turned, and ran straight into a wall. Tom laughed aloud.

"That didn't count," Matt mumbled, turning back to the group. He shook his head vigorously and ran down the hallway to his right, leaving the rest of the group standing there and all the while using his mirror as a sort of metal detector - rather, an illusion detector.

"And here I was hoping we wouldn't have to split up again," Edd commented quietly.

"This can only mean good things," Tord reasoned, putting a victorious finger up in the air. Tom elbowed him, making the red-hoodied boy lose his balance and almost fall. Tom snickered, but was pushed to the ground by Tord. Edd sighed, walking ahead and turning into the hallway opposite of Matt's direction. Tord and Tom stopped fighting to see Edd disappear down the hallway.

"Wait wait wait wait Edd don't leave us-" Tord stammered, running down to the hall Edd had gone down. Defeated, he watched him go.

"Great going, Tord," Tom snickered.

"Me?!" Tord screeched. "You were the one who elbowed me!"

"You were the one who joined this group after me and did all this terrible stuff," Tom shot back.

"Alright, fine, I'll leave you alone," Tord replied, walking backwards away from Tom. "But when Edd comes back and blames this all on you, I'll be the one saying I told you so!" He laughed, turning around and bumping straight into the same wall Matt had run into earlier. Tom laughed again, the sound echoing across the walls.

*

Matt strode down the hall with his mirror. So far, no colors had come up. Still, he felt determined to find whatever illusion had set it off earlier. He continued down the hall, looking for any signs of illusions around. He warily looked at his mirror and the walls, eyes ping-ponging all across the hallway. He came across a door in his travel and gratefully opened it.

A few snowflakes drifted across a breeze and landed on the floor around his feet. A cool breeze waved his hair around. Matt stepped forward, his shoes sinking into the deep snow. As he shuffled through the snow, he used his mirror to look for any illusions. Both unfortunately and fortunately, he only saw his reflection. A thumping sound alerted him to something around him. He looked up from his mirror to see a white hare standing just a few feet in front of him, its foot still poised from scratching its ear. It placed its foot back down, looking up at Matt with gentle brown eyes.

"Hello there," Matt greeted the animal, crouching down to see it better against the snow. "Are you looking for an illusion too?" Matt put up his mirror. Still, no colors appeared, though something in his mirror seemed...off. He decided it was the light and placed his mirror in his pocket so he wouldn't have to hold it out in the cold anymore. He stood up again, shivering and placing his hands in his pockets. The hare still looked up at him, its nose twitching.

"I'll name you Sir Thumps-A-Lot," Matt declared, smiling down at the hare. It twitched its nose once more, then turned and hopped away.

"Sir Thumps-A-Lot, wait up!" Matt exclaimed, running after the hare, surprised he was able to find the creature through all the snow. The rabbit-like creature bounded through the snow with ease, its long back legs providing great support. Matt, however, could hardly even lift his legs in order to get through the thick snow. He tripped and landed face-first into the snow. He used his arms as support to get up, ending up straight back into the snow again due to how deep it was. He growled and lifted his head, his face nearly covered in snow. Giving up, he laid his face into the snow. In just a few seconds, he found himself almost getting frostbite, so he looked up again and almost screamed.

Sir Thumps-A-Lot stood right in front of his face. It sniffed his nose, a gentle wisp of a touch that made Matt giggle. It then raised a paw and batted the snow off of his nose.

"Not the face," Matt laughed, trying to prop himself up on his elbows but only succeeding in sinking into the snow again. Sir Thumps-A-Lot hopped over to Matt's legs, placing his front paws on Matt's popliteal.

"You think using my legs will help me out of this?" The hare's nose twitched and it stood fully on the snow again, almost as if it were agreeing with him. Matt moved his legs under him, then pushed his arms against his knees to get up. Now sitting up, still deep in the snow, he raised one shaky leg at a time. He wiped the excess snow off of his clothes, the front side of him cold and wet. He shivered, trying to trudge through the deep snow. Sir Thumps-A-Lot led the way, stopping every once in a while to look back and make sure Matt was still there.

"C-C-Can w-we take a short b-b-break, Sir Thumps-A-Lot?" Matt asked the hare, shivering violently. "I'm g-getting really c-c-cold." He walked a few paces forward, climbing up a rock to avoid settling in the cold snow. He lay down on its cool surface, basking in the warmth of the sun peeking out from behind the gray clouds. He heard the shuffling of creatures in the snow, assuming it was Sir Thumps-A-Lot trying to get comfortable. He watched his breath turn into puffs of smoke in the cool air and closed his eyes, thinking some rest would make him feel warmer.

***

There was a howl. Matt sat up at the speed of light, looking for the source of the sound. The sky had turned dark by now and a light fog had formed. How long had he been asleep? He looked around, nearly blind in how dark it was if there hadn't been the bright snow on the ground. He jumped off the rock, landing softly in the snow. However, it was even colder now that the sun wasn't here to give him warmth.

There was another howl, closer this time. Matt found a river cutting through the snow and another larger rock on the other side of it. He couldn't see the top of it through all the fog, but he figured the howl had possibly come from there. Besides, Sir Thumps-A-Lot was missing and maybe he was there. Matt didn't bother to roll up his jeans or take off his shoes and socks before stepping into the freezing water. He figured it would provide him more protection against the cold.

"Sir Thumps-A-Lot!" Matt called out the hare's name. He waded through the water, finding it hard to breathe with how cold he felt. Shuffling his feet along the bottom of the smooth pebbles at the bottom of the stream, he tried not to think about how hard his teeth were chattering and how violently he was shivering. He looked up to see the shore and shuffled as quickly as he could through the water. However, just before the shore, he found a shiny and perfect pebble. He stooped down to pick it up, bearing the feeling of his hand in icy cold water just to keep the beautiful artifact. However, he stopped to admire his reflection in the water, and only the pain of numbness shooting up his arm brought him back to what he was doing.

Matt stood again, placing the pebble in one of his jeans' pockets and walking to the shore. He stepped onto the slightly shallower snow, looking up at the top of the rock. An animal's gray eyes shone through the fog, most of it collected at its legs but still covering the animal's shape so much he could only find a silhouette. Its eyes glinted, and suddenly the fog drew away in a flash. Matt let out a gasp, the cold catching his breath.

Sir Thumps-A-Lot lay limp in the wintery creature's mouth, the blood contrasting darkly with its white fur. It stood tall and proud, its fluffy white fur waving in the breeze. Its large tail made a perfect companion to its sleek body. It jumped gracefully from the rock, Sir Thumps-A-Lot's body moving erratically with it. The creature, as Matt now realized was a wolf, stood waist-high to Matt. It stared through him, gray eyes looking silver in the night. It growled, the sound muffled through Sir Thumps-A-Lot's fur.

"Not the face!" Matt screamed, walking backwards and tripping into the river. The water splattered onto him as the wolf strode towards him with careful footsteps. Matt screeched again and scrambled up, kicking water into the wolf's face as he sprinted to the exit. Breathing heavily due to his speed, temperature, and exertion of having to run through calf-deep snow, Matt dreaded looking behind him to see how close the wolf was. He took a glance and saw the canid right behind him, his beloved hare still dangling from its mouth. He let out a scream, running even faster and using his leg strength to kick as much snow into the wolf's face as he could.

Matt saw the door in the darkness, using all of his strength to run so much his legs felt almost numb and leap towards the exit. His hands landed on the doorknob and he pulled it open at light speed, running through and slamming the door closed. He collapsed, his back pushing the door closed to ensure no chance of the wolf getting out.

Matt's entire body burned with pain, exhaustion, and numbness. He panted, he shivered, he thought of his poor hare. He ran a hand through his hair, barely feeling how wet with sweat and snow it was. Still feeling the sting of cold, he kicked off his shoes and pulled off his purple socks. One at a time, he wrung the water out of his socks, trying to make them as dry as possible. He held his shoes upside-down, watching the water, sand, and rocks pour out of them. He then placed them to dry next to him.

Matt pulled out the pebble and his mirror. Turning the rock over in his hand, he watched the gray glint beautiful colors in the light. He ran his thumb across its smooth edges, smiling at how perfect it was. He glanced down at his mirror, looked back to his pebble, and then did a double-take to stare back at his mirror.

The silver surface reflected swirling colors. They shone bright, some of them nearly neon by now. Matt perked up, thinking he had finally found the illusion he had been chasing.

And then the entire hallway went dark.

"Well, bollocks," Matt cursed under his breath. He looked down at his mirror to see it acted as a light source. He grinned, standing and pointing the mirror at the hall in front of him. A dark figure crouched there, a flame flickering on a long appendage belonging to the creature...a tail of sorts?

"You are certainly an...interesting creature, aren't you?" a feminine voice behind Matt asked. Something long and slender drew across his neck. He looked down, shivering again, to see it looked similar to a tail, identical to the other creature's one with the flame.

"He's quite curious as well," the other creature with the flame remarked quietly. "I might even say he's rude and doesn't have any concept of personal space."

"Excuse me?!" Matt shouted.

"A loud one," the first voice remarked. Matt saw an ear pinned back against a dark head. "A vain one. A stubborn one."

"I'm not-" Matt tried to say.

"Get the lights back on," the first voice barked an order to an unknown creature. They flickered to life, revealing the creatures. One stood nearest to Matt on its hind legs, ribs revealed through tight, pitch-black skin. It had long legs and arms, with large claws on its hands to match and paws to stand on. It had completely black eyes save for white pupils, shiny black hair, and ears similar to a bat's located at the top of its head. It held a toothy grin, dog-like nose twitching in tune to its pointed tail.

Matt looked over to his left to see another creature, this one on all fours. It had four paws, though claws came out and retracted out of them erratically. It had no pupils, a long snout, and a tail that ended above its head. Its back was arched, the spine curved like a talon and horribly bony. Otherwise, it looked identical to the other one. The realization got to him and Matt cried out, falling backwards onto his backside.

"We got the clumsy one," the one on two legs commented in an irritated voice.

"He's a scaredy-cat," the other creature added, its voice still soft.

Matt stared up at them with shaky blue eyes. His vision darted from one creature to the next.

"I'm assuming you want answers," the one on two legs finally said.

"Of c-course I want answers!" Matt stammered. "What do you take me for, a..." Matt couldn't think of a word.

"I told you he was stupid, but you thought he was one of the smarter of his group," the one on four legs spat to the one on two legs.

"Yes, yes, I'm not as smart as you, it's just part of my life," the one on two legs shot back. "Anyways, you're quite rude, barging in here with your powerful mirror and other friends. The reason we make illusions in the first place is so we aren't seen, you know."

"I didn't know that..." Matt felt guilty all of a sudden. "I was just trying to uncover some secrets of the hotel."

"Well, you aren't going to get them by dancing around and using your mirror like a lunatic," the one on two legs retorted. "It's going to take hard work uncovering clues. Nobody around here will give you answers."

"Why not?" Matt inquired.

Not a word came from the creatures.

"Was that supposed to be a joke?" Matt asked.

The creature on two legs laughed. "That's one way to put it. I like your spunk, kid. We are The Overshadowers. I'm a Walker, and that is one of the Ferals back there." It pointed its tail over to the one on four legs. "And you are...?"

"That is Matt, if my memory serves me correct," the Feral answered.

"You are correct," Matt replied, standing up. "Have you all met my friends already?"

"Not formally," the Feral replied.

"We have seen them, not met them," the Walker corrected. "We're always around to see the newcomers, though we usually don't meet them. We just like to watch."

"So...you're stalkers?" Matt tilted his head.

"In a way," the Walker laughed.

"Are there more of you around here?" Matt questioned.

"My, you're a man of many questions," the Walker remarked. "Yes, of course there are more of us. More than we can count. Use your mirror, child. You will see then."

Matt picked up his mirror from the ground and pointed it towards the darkness. He saw glowing eyes through the mirror's surface, though he could not see them without using the mirror. He pointed it to his other side, seeing more of them.

"I'm surrounded," Matt mumbled, gulping.

"You still have a wall behind you," the Feral pointed out.

"Right." Matt still sounded scared as he put his mirror away.

"So, anything else you want to ask us?" the Walker questioned.

"Do you know Valentino?" Matt inquired immediately.

"Of course we do," the Feral answered. "Everyone knows him. He's quite a character."

"His brothers are ravishing, as well," the Walker added.

"I did not mean it like that," the Feral responded quietly. "I meant that he is strange and suspicious, though I smell trustworthiness. I do not know why."

"You can smell personalities?" Matt felt both disgusted and intrigued.

"Most of the time," the Feral said. "We're faster, smarter, and quieter than the Walkers. While we can think up great strategies, four legs is a lot to keep up with, so we're clumsy. We can smell better than them, but their other senses are much more in tune than ours. Therefore, we can smell even personality traits, while they see and hear and feel and even taste a person's personality."

"I wonder what I taste like..." Matt thought aloud.

The Walker chuckled and replied, "Partially like ginger, partially like a lion's mane. It's an interesting combination." It laughed, open-mouth this time, snake-like tongue flickering back and forth.

Matt stared at the tongue in fear before asking, "Do you know what our next challenge is?"

"Ah, we never know what the challenges are," the Feral answered. "You'd be better off asking Valentino."

"Speaking of Valentino," a familiar voice cut through the darkness, "shouldn't you be getting your cowardly ass back to him?"

Matt stared around, looking for the source. The Walker moved in front of him, shielding him. It turned its head, nodded to him, and looked back at the offender. The Feral crept up next to the Walker, also protecting Matt. The ginger turned his head to notice the other pairs of eyes slithering towards him, coming over to shield him from behind.

"Oh, how cute," the voice continued. "You think you can stop me."

Where have I heard that voice before? Matt thought. It seemed so familiar, yet so unfamiliar at the same time.

"We're merely standing guard, in case you try to hurt us," the Feral growled, its tone menacing but voice soft.

"I know who you're hiding back there," the voice declared. Matt could feel eyes boring into him, but couldn't tell where they came from.

"We're not hiding anyone," the Walker argued, snake-like tongue wavering.

Matt put a hand into his jeans pocket where the pebble resided, ready to defend himself. As the rest of The Overshadowers closed in around him, making a circle of protection, he silently moved so he could find a closer look at the opponent.

"You're lying straight through your teeth," the voice retorted, a surprisingly calm tone of voice. "I've gone through this too many times with Valentino to not know what is a lie and what is not."

Although Matt could not see his opponent, he aimed and threw the pebble in the direction of the voice. Silently hoping he hit the head or the crotch, he moved back into The Overshadowers around him. One Walker grabbed his wrist, pulling him up.

"Ow!" the voice shouted. "What the hell-?!"

Matt didn't hear the rest before he was pulled into the Walker who had grabbed him's arms.

"I'm making you invisible," it said in his ear. "Don't make a sound, nor move a muscle. I'll put you on a Feral and they'll lead you to safety. We won't hurt you, since you haven't hurt us. Just be warned of the dangers around here. You can't trust anyone, not even your own friends, and sometimes not even yourself. Now, you stay with this Feral, and don't get off until they tell you it's safe. Okay?"

Matt nodded. The Walker placed him on the back of a Feral standing next to them.

"Hold on tightly," the Feral whispered. Matt did so. The Feral leaned back on its haunches, then leaped and took off down the hallway.

*

Tord sighed, staring at the wall this way and that. He knew there had to be a secret door. He couldn't have to go back down the hallway they just went through to get here. Besides, Tom already went down there, and he didn't want to have to deal with him again. He stared at the wood again, looking for something 'off' to mark that there was a door.

With a breathy sigh, Tord moved closer and looked at every single intricate detail of the wall to try and find a mistake, a line, something to show that it wasn't just a wall. He was about to give up and follow Tom when he noticed a missing nail. At long last, a possible secret door! However, the wood wasn't jutting out or anything, so he couldn't grab hold of it and pry it open. There had to be something else.

"Maybe you have a secret passcode," Tord said. "Hmm...open sesame? No...secret door? Passcode? This place is a fucking joke and I hate it?"

None of them seemed to work.

"Ah, screw this, I'll just kick it open." Tord kicked at the piece of wood, willing it to open, but he only succeeded in hurting his foot. "It's like this place is made of brick or cement. Back to the passcodes, then..."

"I'd have to think in the mind of the person who set this door in the first place, but who would it be?" Tord tapped his chin and turned away from the wall to think. "Maybe Valentino? But what would his passcode be? It couldn't really be his brothers who set the passcode either, right? They don't seem quite as suspicious...but then again, we've seen Valentino the most, so maybe they're in hiding because they're evil. Nah, that couldn't be it. Maybe the passcode is just a random word, like..."

"Broccoli." Upon hearing a scraping sound, Tord turned back to the wall to see it opening. So his passcode really had worked. "Wow. This sounds like a fanfiction Edd would write." Tord waited until the door had completely opened, then stepped through. The room was spacious, but dark. He examined around, looking for possible traps. As he continued through cautiously, he wished he had Matt's mirror to help find illusions around. He found a single door at the back of the room. He looked around, noting that his entering door was still open, then cautiously placed his hand on the doorknob and pulled open the door.

A vast world of sea creatures met his gaze. The water filling the room somehow didn't pour out into the room Tord stood in, almost like a cube. He placed a hand through the water, watching it pass around his hand like a waterfall. He looked at his hand, encased in the water as if it were jelly. He smiled to himself, entranced by the physics of the water, then looked up. A shark barreled right towards him. He screamed and shut the door, adrenaline coursing through his body. As he leaned against the door with his back, he tried to calm himself down.

"Are you kidding me?!" Tord screeched. "First there was my least favorite song, then Mr. SwirlyFace, then evil wolf spider lady, then I got crushed by the ceiling, then there was Jason, then I burned to death, and now you're telling me a shark can nearly eat me! Ugh, this place just seems to have it out for me."

"Not just you," a voice called.

Tord gulped as the secret door closed and he was enveloped in darkness.

"W-Who's there?" Tord stammered, his teeth chattering. A flame appeared, and the room was lit again. Six ash-like figures awaited him, one of them looking familiar.

"Ashton!" Tord beamed, happy to see someone he knew. The male raised his hand in a greeting.

"It's nice to see you again," Ashton replied. "I was hoping you'd get that there was a secret door."

"I'm not as dumb as you think," Tord responded.

"You were dumb enough to almost get eaten by a shark," one of the other figures sneered.

"Hey, it's not my fault that this hotel's physics amaze me." Tord held up his hands in a "it's not my fault" motion.

"It really isn't," Ashton retorted to the snickering creature. "I actually think he's quite smart...well, when he's compared to his peers."

"Hey!" Tord shouted as Ashton chuckled.

"Well, I suppose I should introduce my 'brethren' here," Ashton realized aloud. He gestured to the one who had insulted Tord. "That's Charon. He's a bit...judgemental." He then gestured to the one standing near Charon. "That's Vulcan. He's a bit hotheaded, but once you get to know him, he's probably the most courageous friend you'll ever have." He pointed towards a feminine-looking one standing near the corner of the room. "That's Uri. She's a bit shy, but she'll warm up to you." Ashton winked.

"Please, I have enough puns from Edd to deal with," Tord groaned.

"Valentino would cut you for ending that sentence with a preposition," Charon cut in. "Shouldn't you know better?"

"He would cut you for using those contractions," Tord retorted. "Should you not know better?" Tord smirked, making Charon glare at him.

"Hey now, we still have two others here to introduce," Ashton stopped them. "Don't get into a fight." Ashton pointed towards the other two standing to the right of him. "Those two are Pyrrha and Pyrrhus. They basically don't go anywhere without each other, since they're brother and sister. They're quite friendly as well, though Pyrrhus is a bit more shy."

"Hello, Tord!" Pyrrha waved, her ponytail bouncing with her movements.

"How did you know my name?" Tord felt confused.

"Ashton's been telling us about you," Pyrrhus continued for her. "And your friends, of course. You're quite interesting people."

"By interesting, he means annoying," Charon interrupted.

"You're annoying!" Pyrrha shot back.

Ashton looked more annoyed than the both of them combined.

"So, kid, what brings you here?" Vulcan asked, grinning.

Tord stepped carefully with his words. "My friends and I were bored, so we looked up haunted hotels, found this one, and came here."

Vulcan's smile disappeared from his face. Tord gulped, wondering what he had said wrong, as Vulcan's frown grew deeper, and his soulless eyes seemed to flare up.

"You...idiots!" Vulcan lashed out at Tord, causing him to jump back and continue stepping backwards as Vulcan advanced on him. "Did you even read the forums? Did you caution yourself? Did you realize what terrible things you would come across? Are you just out to kill yourselves?!"

Suddenly, a ball of flame cut into Vulcan, making him disintegrate and fall into piles of ash on the floor. The ash formed back into Vulcan, only now he was sitting on the ground, stunned at what had happened. Tord shook like a dog, turning his head slowly to look at Ashton. The offending male had his arm still outstretched, hand open and smoking from shooting the flame. The others stood around him, just as shocked as Vulcan.

"That's enough," Ashton said simply, lowering his arm. He turned his attention to Tord. "I apologize. He can get rough." He glared at Vulcan, who, still on the ground, crawled backwards until he was on the opposite wall and as far away as he could be from Tord. He grinned nervously at Ashton, but it only dissipated as Ashton's frown deepened.

"Hey, mister." Tord jumped and turned around as someone tapped on his shoulder. Uri stood behind him, smiling shyly. "I-It's okay to be scared here," she continued in a small, stuttering voice. "Vulcan c-can be a bit scary. W-Well, so can everyone else here."

"How many people are here?" Tord asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, o-of us, there's o-only six," Uri answered, "b-but, the total amount of souls in this p-place is...too much to count."

Tord gulped, wondering just how much 'too much to count' was.

"Don't worry," Ashton said, giggling a bit at how Tord jumped again. "My, you're a bit jumpy today. Anyhow, we're getting you home before you're trapped in this place forever. Trust me." He winked, but Tord still didn't feel quite okay with all this.

"I-I need t-to sit down," Tord stammered in a lilting voice, sitting down with his back against the wall and looking up at Ashton. "What...day is it?"

"It's January nineteenth, my dear friend," a very familiar voice called. Tord's gaze swept around the room, trying to find the voice...until he looked up to his right.

Somehow, he had never noticed a long shelf up there on the wall. Valentino lay across it, his legs tangled with each other, twisting a cinnamon-colored rose around in his fingers. His eyes stared at Tord, a smile forming on his face. He looked innocent, maybe even playful. To Tord, however, he seemed...off.

"When did you get here?" Tord asked.

"I've been here the whole time, Tordy," Valentino answered, slowly untwisting his legs and sitting up.

Did he just use a contraction, and call me a nickname I never allowed him to call me? Tord thought. He looked to the ash people and saw that they noticed something was off with Valentino, too. However, he couldn't mention it to them before Valentino suddenly jumped from the shelf and back to the ground. Usually Valentino was graceful about these things, as Tord had seen before, but this time...he was more stumbly than a newborn deer trying to walk. "Valentino" - as Tord took to calling this possible imposter in his head - strode over to Tord and held out his arm to help him up. Tord glared at the offending hand and tried getting up himself. However, this Valentino decided to take his arm just as he was pushing himself up, forcefully pulling him up and nearly making him trip and fall over his own feet. Tord quickly pulled away from Valentino, brushing himself off as the other smirked at him.

"Now, I do reckon we should be taking our leave," Valentino announced. "I'll take you to the others." Valentino grabbed Tord's wrist, smiling at him with a strange look in his eyes. Tord didn't like the emotion reflected in Valentino's eyes, whatever emotion it was, however he couldn't help but stare straight into his eyes. He tried pulling himself away, but Valentino's grip was strong.

"I can take him to the others," Ashton cut in, trying to wedge himself in between the two. Valentino, however, wasn't having any of it.

"Don't be so silly, Ashton," Valentino retorted, the words slipping off his tongue like poison as he started pulling Tord towards the exit. "I can take him there myself, you just stay here and-"

A fireball shot right in front of Valentino, causing him to stumble backwards and nearly fall on top of Tord.

"That was a warning shot," Ashton said, walking towards Tord. "You hurt us again and I won't hesitate to blow you to pieces." Ashton took hold of Tord's arm, hard yet gentle at the same time, and started pulling him away. "Now, do you mind screwing off? We have things to attend to." Ashton sprinted off, Tord in tow. His arm stung where Valentino had gripped it, but he was grateful to get away from that creature or imposter. Certainly that had not been Valentino...right?

"I'm sure you could tell," Ashton answered his thoughts, "but that was definitely not Valentino."

*

Edd stared down the hallway. Just a few yards ahead was the end of the hallway, with a single door placed at the end. He tilted his head, confused. Surely this hallway wasn't actually this short, right...? He shrugged to himself and walked over to the door. He looked it up and down, noticing how tall it was. Why was such a short hallway so tall? Cautiously, he placed his hand on the doorknob. He looked around and behind him nervously, then twisted the doorknob and pulled open the door quickly.

A wild savannah met his eyes. Long, yellow grass swayed in the breeze. Tall, twisting trees with wide tops dotted the land. Bushes provided extra hiding protection and shade, usually under the trees. Edd stepped onto the savannah, the grass welcoming him. He continued on quietly, watching for signs of predators. Seeing nothing, he decided to wander around and explore. Out in the distance, he saw a large group of black-and-white creatures jumbled together like puzzle pieces.

"Zebras!" Edd exclaimed, running over to them. The herd noticed him, but, seeing him as non-threatening, stayed where they were. Most of them grazed while others relaxed. A few younger ones were chasing each other around, while their mothers eyed them warily. Edd noticed a few zebras staying at the borders of the herd, watching the savannah like lions would watch their prey. He guessed they were watching for predators. Suddenly, a snorting noise caught his attention.

A curious zebra had strode over to Edd. He smiled and reached out to it. It spooked and stepped back, but cautiously held out its snout again. It sniffed his hand and nuzzled into it. Edd giggled, petting the zebra's soft muzzle. A few other zebras saw this and trotted over to him. He laughed more, not able to pet them all with his measly two hands. A zebra foal headbutted him, wanting attention.

"Hey, that's no way to ask someone for pets!" Edd scolded it, giving it some attention anyways. Its ears swiveled and it raised its head beneath his hand, looking up at him with big brown eyes. Edd smiled down at it and moved his hand away. The foal turned its head over to the zebras at the edge of the herd. Edd followed its gaze to see the zebras' tails slashing from side to side violently. One of them riled up on its hind legs and began braying. The other zebras of the herd followed its example, barking and braying in high-pitched clicking noises. All as one, they began sprinting right towards Edd. In a panic, he turned tail and ran in the same direction. He looked wildly from side to side, wondering what had caused this mess. He saw it coming up on his left.

A lioness was speeding towards all of them, looking to pick off a straggler. However, she noticed Edd and decided he was a better meal than a zebra. She ran straight towards him, curving around to the front of the herd. The zebras squealed and turned, running the opposite direction. Edd, however, continued running the same direction, heading for the door he had left open. He knew this was risky, but he ran as fast as he could. The lioness continued behind him, knowing he was getting exhausted. She picked up her pace, being as relentless as ever. Edd went even faster - the door was so close...

There was a zebra behind him. It was one of the ones who wanted attention from him. It wanted to follow him rather than the herd. It pushed him into the opening. Edd landed face-first onto the wooden flooring, looking back at the zebra. The lioness had turned on it now, chasing it across the savannah. Edd got up and closed the door just as the lioness pounced on her prey. Panting heavily, Edd slid down the door and onto his knees. He closed his eyes, focusing on breathing and calming down. His heart beat a mile a minute even as the adrenaline slowly poured out of him.

"Poor thing," a voice remarked. "He must really be worked up..."

Edd screamed and turned around to look at whoever was there. Four figures stood there, two male and two female. They stared at him, confused.

"Don't scare him like that," one of the females finally said. She strode over to him, holding out a dark-skinned hand. Edd took it gratefully, pulling himself up. The girl smiled at him.

"I'm Dreamie, but you can call me Caviar," she said. "Let's see... You must be Edd, right?"

"How'd you know?" Edd tilted his head.

"We've heard about you," the voice from earlier, belonging to a fair-skinned lady with sandy blonde hair, answered. "Word of newcomers travels fast here."

"Word of their fears travels fast as well," a dark-skinned boy added, licking his lips hungrily.

"Stop being creepy, Weaver," Dreamie scolded the boy.

"It only adds more delicious nightmares to him~" Weaver hugged himself and chuckled. "Nobody can live without those awful dreams plaguing their mind every day, rotting and turning more horrid as every moment passes-"

"We get it, so shut it," the pale girl cut him off.

"Take that stick out of your ass, Aisling," another boy said. "Leave Weavs alone, he's only tellin' the truth."

"D'aww, Ayu, you don't need to defend me..." Weaver blushed and made an "oh you" motion.

"He doesn't need to scare off our guest with his perverted ways," Aisling shot at 'Ayu'. "And Weaver, stop acting gay for Ayumu. It creeps out everyone."

Edd stood there awkwardly, not knowing what to do.

"Don't worry about them," Dreamie comforted him. "They always act like this - it's not because of you. Anyways, I can answer some questions for you."

"Who are all of you?" Edd inquired.

"We're the Dreamers. Ayumu and I are specifically Dreamcatchers. I catch nightmares, so all you have left in your mind are good dreams, while Ayumu does the opposite. Aisling and Weaver are Dreamweavers. Aisling weaves all of your good dreams together for you to see, while Weaver weaves together the nightmares. Lastly, there's the Dreamwalker. His name is Cimon, but you probably won't meet him since he sleeps all day. He's hidden away right now, in fact."

"He must be really lazy," Edd snorted.

"Actually, he sleeps all day because it keeps his powers restored," Dreamie explained. "We all have powers, but his are extremely beneficial. However, since he's so powerful, it takes a lot of energy for him to use those powers. So if we keep him hidden away and asleep, he won't get distracted and he can sleep peacefully. He only comes out during dangerous situations."

"What if you're trapped and can't wake him up, though? How can he know there's a dangerous situation and he needs to help?"

"I'll let you in on a little secret." Dreamie leaned in closer. "Cimon has some sort of...sixth sense. In his sleep, he dreams of the future. They give him omens and meanings to tell him what may be happening soon. He can wake himself up if he sees a timeline where something terrible is happening to us and we can't get to him."

"Wow," Edd breathed. Dreamie nodded, smiling. She turned her head to look over at the trio, who were still bickering with each other.

"...you're going to creep everyone out immensely if you keep doing that," Aisling finished.

"Oh, so you're calling me out just because I'm black?" Weaver spat. "Is that it? Is it because of my skin color?"

"No, no, what I'm saying is-" Aisling tried to say, but Weaver cut her off.

"I bet you're one of those people who says that black people are the source of everyone's problems, aren't you? You're the kind of girl who sees a black guy with his hood up and starts walking faster. You're the kind of girl who sees a black guy in a supermarket and thinks, He's here to steal some shit. I bet you're even the kind of girl who thinks that every black guy is a rapi-"

"Weaver!" Dreamie shouted. "That's enough!"

Edd's eyes ping-ponged between the three people. He stood in shock, not knowing what to do.

"I bet he's afraid of me, too, isn't he?" Weaver turned on Edd. "Here, I'll show you!" Weaver made a pulling motion, and Edd felt like his mind was being pulled along with it. Dreamie and Aisling looked shocked, while Ayumu had on a smug look. Edd hardly noticed their reactions as a dark indigo enveloped the room. Shapes and stars began forming in his vision, morphing and changing right before his eyes. They shifted into his greatest fears. They growled, they yowled, they screeched, they screamed, they all wanted to rip him apart and he just couldn't handle it. Their voices were horrible, grating his ears and shaking him to the very core. They cackled and called for him, wanting so badly to destroy him, to make him-

They all disappeared in an instant. Edd felt completely drained and he collapsed onto the ground. All he focused on was his breathing, trying to calm himself down. All he could hear was his own heart pounding in his ears. He looked up, seeing four figures fighting with each other, their mouths open but nothing coming out. He felt a weird sense of deja vu, but couldn't tell why. Voices drifted into his hearing range, but they sounded so far away...

"You didn't need to bring race into the argument!" a familiar girl's voice yelled. "Aisling never said anything about color, but you just assumed it and made both of you look like assholes!"

Aisling...the name sounded so familiar to Edd...

"Just a second ago you were yelling at me for almost killing Edd!" another familiar voice, male this time, shouted. "What's with this subject change?"

"Does it matter?" the girl's voice continued. "You're in the wrong and you should live up to it!"

"Edd. Snap out of it."

Edd was suddenly brought to his senses by the pale figure of a girl sitting in front of him. She smiled at him, her hand on his shoulder.

"Is he alright?" the other girl - Dreamie, Edd remembered - asked.

"He will be, if Weaver doesn't try that shit again." Aisling turned her head to glare at Weaver. He crossed his arms and looked away. Aisling shook her head and stood up, pulling Edd up with her. He wavered on his feet, dizzy.

"How do we fix this easily?" Dreamie asked.

"The best thing would be for me to weave his dreams," Aisling answered. She made the same pulling motion Weaver had made. A golden glow filled Edd's vision. He saw his friends, his family, Ringo, all the people who loved and encouraged him appear before his eyes. They spoke to him in heavenly voices, wishing him good luck. They told him he would get out of here, he would be alive, he and all his friends would be alright in the end. They were saying one more thing, but Edd could not hear it as the vision faded. He reached out to them, but they disappeared before he could ask them what they were going to say. He lowered his arm, defeated.

"That didn't help much, did it?" Dreamie muttered. She walked up to him, debating whether she should try and help or not.

"Alright, hotshot, get on with it," Ayumu called. Dreamie turned to glare at him for a second before making a stance as if she were holding a bow and arrow. Edd saw a design form behind her, one similar to a dreamcatcher. She pulled her arm back as if she were pulling the string of a bow back. Edd saw the indigo again, but it became trapped inside the strings of the dreamcatcher. All he could remember was the golden glow now, all of his hopes and dreams coming to life. He felt powerful, determined, hopeful...

"Aw come on, you aren't going to let me show off how I do things?" Ayumu strode forward and made the bow and arrow motion. The dreamcatcher formed behind him and caught the golden into its web of strings, and suddenly Edd felt completely numb. He could not remember anything and he could not feel anything. He felt a distinct emptiness inside him. Nothing made sense anymore. What was up, what was down? Where was this? Who was he? He felt lightheaded, with no will to do anything except-

The fears were back again, if only for a split second, before they were drowned out by the dreams. Edd staggered back, tripping over his own feet and landing on the ground. He came to his senses and shook his head, looking around.

"Well, first Weaver almost killed him, and now Ayumu almost killed him," Dreamie said. "Great first impression."

"You should've put his fears back in him before I took his dreams," Ayumu retorted.

"You could've waited to take his dreams until I put his fears back into him," Dreamie shot back.

"Ah, whatever." Ayumu waved a hand dismissively and walked over to the other end of the room. "It's in my nature to hurt people. At least I can actually fight back, since I have powers that correspond to hurting the danger and making them unable to fight."

"W-Well, we can work together to make the danger empty inside!" Dreamie stammered.

"Aisling can't," Ayumu pointed out.

"It's not my fault I was forced into this role," Aisling murmured.

"We were all forced to be like this," Weaver said solemnly. "I wasn't so hotheaded and evil when I was alive, you know..."

"You were still just as perverted and gay, Weavs," Ayumu teased.

"Shut up, Amy," Weaver shot back.

"My mom calls me my childhood nickname _one_ time while you just happen to be over..." Ayumu shook his head.

"He'll never let you live that down," Dreamie snickered. As she turned her head, her attention landed on Edd and she jumped back in surprise. "Oh my gosh! How long have you just been sitting there without anyone there to comfort you?!" She ran over and crouched beside him. "You're okay now, right?"

Edd nodded, still feeling lightheaded, but okay nonetheless. Dreamie sighed in relief. A sudden creaking sound alerted her to something on the other end of the room. Everyone turned their heads over to the sound to see a small figure emerge from the shadows.

"Cimon!" Dreamie exclaimed, running over to him. "What happened?! What danger will there be?!"

"Calm down, please, Caviar," the boy said sleepily. He rubbed his eyes and yawned. "All I sensed was that someone was here, but the dreams did not tell me if he was to be trusted or not. From what I see here..." He turned to look at Edd. "He seems to not be a threat." He strode over to Edd and held out a hand to help him up. Edd took it and pulled himself up to his full height, looming over the small boy. The latter laughed as he looked up at Edd.

"I know I'm short, but I'm fifteen years old and I'm the strongest person here." Cimon smiled, looking up at Edd with a sweet smile on his face. Edd stared down at him, surprised. He was expecting the most powerful person here to at least be somewhat intimidating, but this was more like a fluffy bunny that claimed to have killed a man. In fact, the teen's fluffy, sandy blonde hair and big, innocent brown eyes made him resemble such a bunny.

"Cimon, m-maybe you should go back to sleep now..." Dreamie chewed on a fingernail. "He isn't a threat, but what if one appears? You need to save your powers..."

Cimon turned to look at her, saying, "You needn't worry, Caviar. We'll be fine. Listen to your clairvoyant for once in a while, hmm?" He winked at her.

"A-Alright..." She looked down, defeated.

"So," Cimon turned to look back at Edd, "when can I meet your friends? They sound nice." Before Edd could ask how he knew all this, Cimon gave him the answer. "I know because of my dreams. You don't seem to get this whole 'future sight' thing, do you?" He laughed. "Ah, well, nobody really does, since I'm the only one who experiences it."

"I think you are all dead wrong."

The sudden voice sent shivers up Edd's spine. The rest of the group looked frozen with fear. Cimon seemed to have known this was going to happen all along, as he was the only one who looked calm.

"I have future sight as well," the voice continued, "and I see a future where all of you are destroyed at the hands of myself."

Cimon grabbed Edd's hand. Dreamie saw this and tried to stop him.

"Cimon, you better not run off with him! We need you for this fight! Aisling can take him, o-or I can, or-" Dreamie tried to argue, but was cut off by Cimon.

"Caviar." Cimon shushed her. "I believe in you four. You can take him on your own this time."

"B-But-"

"No buts. You're staying here and fighting, and you're winning. I'll be back soon. First priority is getting Edd back to his friends well and alive." Cimon winked, putting his forefinger and middle finger together in a farewell and running into the hallway, pulling Edd along with him. Edd caught a glimpse of the farthest wall of the room breaking apart and a figure appearing in the rubble.

"Do you really think they're going to be okay?" Edd asked quietly, looking back at the other four and the figure behind them as he and Cimon ran off.

"I don't just think so," Cimon replied. "I know so."

*

Tom found himself in a predicament. He had forgotten that the hallway they had just come through went in two different directions. He now had to choose a direction, but he could see no doors on either side. He kept looking back and forth at the two, hoping a door would appear. Alas, Tom's wishes did not come true.

"This was a waste of time," Tom muttered, turning back to the original hallway. Suddenly, an arrow whizzed by his head.

"I beg to differ," a familiar voice argued. Tom turned around and saw Warrior standing there.

"What are you doing here?" Tom asked.

"Showing you the way, since you're such an ignorant and impatient human," Warrior spat. He turned and walked to the intersection of the two hallways, then turned back around to beckon Tom over. Tom looked around him then hurried over to Warrior. He couldn't help but notice how much taller the man was than him - six inches, probably - and felt slightly intimidated, considering the man held a bow and arrow as well.

"You don't happen to have Matt's mirror, do you?" Warrior questioned. Tom shook his head and Warrior let out a loud, heavy sigh. "Of course not," he muttered before turning over to the right hallway. "See that down there?" He pointed down the hallway. Tom looked in the direction of his finger and squinted his eyes, but saw only darkness. Warrior seemed to catch on that he couldn't see it, as he narrowed his eyes and glared at him. He sighed again and took Tom by the hood of his jacket, pulling him down the hallway. He pointed again.

"See it now?"

"Nope."

Warrior let out a growl. "You're just doing this to frustrate me, aren't you?"

"Of course not!" Tom held up his hands in surrender. "I really don't see what you're trying to point out to me."

Tom screamed and staggered backwards. Warrior let out a chuckle.

"You can't see it because it's an illusion," Warrior explained. "Only the maker of the illusion and a few select others, along with people with mirrors, can see it. That's why you can't find any doors, either. They're under illusions, but they're all down the other hallway anyways. I led you down here so you don't fall into this damned trap." Warrior turned and headed back down the hallway and started to go into the one where Edd, Tom, Matt, and Tord had been earlier.

"Wait, I still have some questions-" Tom ran after Warrior, but stopped when he reached the original hallway. Warrior was nowhere to be found. Tom looked around him for a few moments, then turned and headed into the hallway on his left. Without Matt's mirror, or Warrior to guide him, Tom didn't know where the doors where or how to uncover their illusion. Tom sighed and slammed his hand on the wall. The wall rippled around his hand.

"What the fuck?" Tom said under his breath. He pushed his hand onto the wall again. Once more, it rippled. He pushed his hand further and the wall gave out underneath him, pushing forward and becoming...

A door.

Tom had found another way to uncover illusions: by touching them. He continued through the door into a mountainous area. Rocks crunched and crumbled beneath his feet, and he found it hard to balance well. Cliffs surrounded him, and when he looked down them, he could hardly see the bottom. All he could see was fog and the hardly visible tops of trees. He looked above him and saw a ring of clouds along with a blue sky. He sighed. At least the surroundings were pretty.

Tom headed down the mountain path, watching the scenery. He hadn't noticed this earlier, but there were bushes and patches of grass scattered about. A few small streams cut through the rock, ending in ponds and puddles. He also noticed mountain goats trotting around, grazing or relaxing. Some of them bleated as he went past. Tom ignored them and continued down his path until he came upon a large mountain goat lying down right smack in the middle of his path, blocking the way.

"Hey, buddy, move out of the way," Tom ordered. The mountain goat stayed put, not even opening its eyes. "I said move it." The goat once again, didn't budge. Tom gently pushed it with his foot. "Come on, I can't go around you because of the rocks and jumping over you would be too dangerous."

A few bleats of alarm sounded out around him and the goat in front of him scrambled to its feet and ran off. Tom would've continued if the goats didn't sound so scared. He looked around and saw the sky had become dark and the clouds an even darker and menacing color. He swore he had only been out here for a few minutes. How had the sky gotten this dark already?

And then he saw it.

A mountain lion stood perched on a rock over to his left. It saw him and crouched into a position that any cat would take before pouncing on its prey. It looked ready to strike at any moment. Tom backed up a couple of steps before turning tail and running off as fast as he could. He heard the panther growl behind him and the sounds of rock crumbling and falling. He knew it was right behind him and willed himself to go faster. The creature pursuing him was certainly faster than him, but the exit had to be close...

There was no door. It had disappeared again. Tom knew where it was. But could he make the illusion go away and get out of there in time? He didn't know. He felt his balance swaying as the rocks became loose beneath his feet. He kept running, knowing the door was there somewhere.

Tom took a leap and went straight through the wall. He ended up back in the hallway. He could still hear the cougar's growls echoing in his ears, but it wasn't there. He was safe. He took a moment to catch his breath and stood up, looking around him. A door stood just across from him. Perfect. He ran over to it and pulled it open, jumping inside and slamming the door closed.

"You could be a little quieter," a voice said behind him. Tom screamed and turned around. Four figures stared at him. One of them suddenly smiled and ran over to him, flowers falling from his shirt.

"You must be one of the new mortals!" He jumped up and clapped. "I'm Dewey, and these are my brothers!" He gestured to the other three people behind him. For some reason, Tom was reminded of Mars, Rome, Warrior, and Valentino, though these four definitely had completely different personalities compared to the others.

The one to the left end of the line raised his hand in greeting. His tunic, which was made of seashells, clacked as he moved. "Name's Grove."

The one next to Grove, wearing a shirt of fall-colored leaves, smiled and waved. "My name's Carmine. Nice to meet you!"

The one standing next to Carmine nodded, wearing fur coats that looked real and probably were. "Seal."

"I can't believe I finally get to meet you!" Dewey shouted, turning Tom's attention back to him. "Everyone here wants to meet you, well most of them to kill you, but hey we don't want to hurt you! Well maybe Seal does, but that's not the point! The point is that I get to finally meet you! Hooray!" He jumped around in a circle. Tom was slightly scared by how excited this guy was.

"Don't mind Dewey too much," Grove said, walking over to Tom. "He's always excited about everything. He gets so excited that he cries sometimes. I'm more laid back, and I can tell you're that type of guy too." He smiled.

"So why do you wear a shirt made of seashells?" Tom inquired.

"Oh, it's part of the expression," Grove explained. "Dewey represents spring, so he wears flowers. I represent summer, so I wear seashells, and so on. We were all born in our representative seasons, too."

"Alright..." Tom trailed off and looked to Carmine and Seal. Grove noticed him and quickly jumped in.

"Carmine's pretty laid back as well, but loves playing games. Don't get too close or you'll be stuck playing hide and seek with him for hours. Seal is...quiet. He mostly just sits around and waits for something to happen, or makes something happen himself. He's also a bit hotheaded, so be careful with your words around him." Grove smiled and clasped his hands together. "Any more questions?"

"No, that's really it," Tom said.

"I have a question," a very familiar voice cut through the air.

Everyone turned to find the source of the sound, but alas, no one was there.

"I want to know why my little creatures aren't doing anything to _kill this mortal_!" The voice rose in volume until it was yelling. Dewey, Grove, Carmine, and Seal backed up until they were all standing next to Tom. Seal was the closest, however, and took hold of Tom's arm - tightly.

"Get ready," was all Seal said before a blast of wind pushed the entire group backwards, almost slamming them into the wall. Tom now realized why Seal was holding on so tightly: so he didn't fly away on impact. Seal, still holding onto Tom's arm, now turned and led Tom out of the room as fast as possible. Seal's scarf billowed in the air as another gust of wind chased them out of the room. As they turned the corner and ran off, Tom saw a large group of something impaling the wall. Even though it was just a glimpse, Tom was sure he knew what had hit the wall.

Arrows.


	14. Dread

"So, is that fur you wear real?"

"Obviously." Even while Seal ran, he said only a few words. It sounded almost like he had a heavy accent, though Tom would tell better if he said more. However, Seal refused to speak unless spoken to, and even then he wouldn't always answer. Tom heard a creak behind him and dared to look back, but nothing was there.

Suddenly, Seal stopped. Tom nearly collapsed onto the ground.

"What the hell was that- Oh." Tom stopped himself as he saw they were at a dead end. Seal turned to him.

"We're safe now," he responded before walking over to the wall and leaning on it. He crossed his arms and turned away, not saying any more. Tom leaned against the left wall and looked out into the distance. He saw a flash of green and light blue. Edd? He squinted his eyes and stepped farther into the hallway.

"Where are you going?" Seal's husky voice startled Tom and he flinched, turning back to face him.

"Nowhere," Tom answered. "I just thought I saw my friend down there."

Seal looked to where Tom had been looking and nodded. "There is someone down there. Wait for him."

Tom nodded back and looked back towards the hallway. By now, he could tell it was Edd, who was being pulled along by...a little boy? He waited until Edd and the boy reached them.

"Tom!" Edd shouted, wrenching out of the boy's grasp and pulling Tom into a hug. Tom, surprised, hugged him back. Edd pulled away after a few moments.

"Tom, this is Cimon." Edd gestured to the boy beside him, who smiled.

"Nice to meet you," Cimon said, holding out his hand. As Tom shook it, Cimon added, "By the way, I'm not a little boy. I'm fifteen years old."

As Tom's "eyes" widened, Edd looked at Seal, who just bowed his head and mumbled his name. Edd smiled nervously and looked back down the hallway. He suddenly jumped up and pointed.

"Hey, here comes Tord!" Edd waved his arms and jumped up and down. "Tord! Over here!"

"Quiet down, you'll alert the enemy," Seal demanded. Tom hadn't even noticed him walk over and put his hands on Edd's shoulders. Edd tensed and went silent. Cimon walked over and pulled Seal's scarf. The much taller man looked down at the small teen and frowned, while Cimon smiled.

"Please don't hurt the friends," Cimon said simply before bowing and walking over to the wall. He yawned and rubbed his eyes.

"Should I take you back?" Edd asked the teen. He shook his head and replied, "I'm fine," before being cut off by another yawn. Edd looked worried, but then a figure tackled him onto the ground. Edd screeched before shouting, "Tord!"

The red-hooded boy laughed. "I was worried I wouldn't find you guys!" He looked around. "Where's Matt?"

"He should be coming momentarily," a familiar voice answered. Edd, Tom, and Tord looked over to see Ashton standing there.

"Ashton!" Edd and Tom shouted in unison. Ashton smiled and waved at them.

"Is this some sort of big family reunion?" Seal inquired from the wall. Ashton laughed.

"No, we just all know each other," he elaborated. "Edd, Tom, and Tord are good friends as well. We just need to wait for Matt."

"Hey guys!" Matt's voice, along with a grunt, rang through the hallway. Everyone looked over towards the source as Matt rolled down the hall, tumbling over and over until he finally stopped at Tom's feet. He laughed, still lying down on his back. "It's good to see you guys again!" He stood up and pulled Edd, Tom, and Tord into a big hug. Squished between his arms, they tried to hug him back but couldn't. However, looking over Matt's shoulders, they could see a pair of eyes staring at them from the darkness of the hallway. Matt let go of his friends before turning to everyone else there.

"Alright, looks like we can leave now," Ashton stated, turning back. "You all are safe and together."

"Yes, I do believe we should be going," a quiet voice in the direction of the eyes added.

"Well, what was this whole adventure for, then?" Matt asked, stepping towards Ashton.

"After Valentino left," Seal started, "you four decided to go out and split up, checking the hallways for doors. Every spirit in this hotel knew you four would be at risk of danger without Valentino around to guide you. Therefore, we needed to keep you occupied and safe before they attacked."

"Who's they?" Tord tilted his head.

"They meaning the dangerous people each of us met," Cimon continued. "Edd, yours was the man who broke through the wall. My people are currently fighting him."

"Matt," the quiet creature's voice cut through the darkness, "you didn't see them, but you certainly hit the intruder in the head with your pebble."

Matt nodded proudly.

"Tord," Ashton said, starling the brunet, "you remember the imposter Valentino, right? He was the one who tried to take you away and hurt you."

Tord nodded, still thinking about who that may have been. He thought for a few seconds that maybe that was the real Valentino and Ashton was just pretending that he was an imposter, but that couldn't be true...could it?

"And Tom and I were attacked by the wind-bearer," Seal finished.

Tom looked to be deep in thought, as if he were figuring something out. He seemed to have pieced the puzzle together, though, as he looked back up from the ground.

"Uh, yeah," Tom muttered.

Seal nodded and crossed his arms, walking off into the hall. Ashton followed him, and Cimon smiled and waved a hand in a goodbye, following the other two. However, the last creature stayed.

"Oh, I forgot to introduce The Overshadower!" Matt pointed to the creature. "That's a Feral."

Edd, Tom, and Tord only looked more confused, but the Feral nodded, saying, "Well, goodbye, you four." It nodded at everyone as it said their names respectively, "Polar Ice, Paint Bucket, Cake Mix, Barbecue... Nice meeting you all." It then turned and trotted away, tail swishing in the darkness.

"Paint...Bucket?" Tom sounded unsure.

"Oh, right," Matt remembered. "The Overshadowers can figure out personality traits by tasting or smelling. I don't really know how it works, but they prefer to use those smells and tastes as names rather than your actual ones. It's easier for them, since traits are unique to everyone while names aren't." He looked proud of himself for remembering all of that, but then his eyebrows furrowed. "Wait a moment..."

"What now?" Tom grumbled.

"Why did they call Valentino by his real name instead of what he smelled like?" Matt asked.

"That's easy, Matt," Tom scoffed. "It was so you would understand immediately."

"Couldn't they just have explained it to him?" Edd pointed out.

"Oh, right...I guess Matt really is smart." Tom looked defeated.

"You underestimate his abilities!" Tord shouted. "Matt raises good questions. Maybe they don't have a nickname for him, since he's so well-known."

"Maybe he requested to be called by his name?" Edd suggested. "Or maybe he wears some perfume - err, cologne, rather - that masks his personality scent?"

Matt just shook his head. "It's gotta be something more complicated than that, right? Nothing with Valentino is simple."

"I bet Valentino isn't even his real name," Tom replied.

"Maybe you should leave your questions to yourselves," a voice called.

The group jumped a foot into the air. They looked all around them, seeing nothing. Matt pulled out his mirror and the colors sprung to life.

"Put your mirror back!" the voice screeched. Matt flinched and obeyed, the fear evaporating off of him so thick you could almost see it.

The voice started up again, "We call him by his first name because he requested it specifically. That is all."

"Matt..." Edd's voice rose up. "You were attacked by someone too, right?"

"Yeah, what about it?" Matt questioned.

"Maybe they used his real name..." Edd didn't finish his sentence. He just stood there, looking terrified.

"They used his real name to bring the attacker to you," Tom finished. "They tricked you."

"Wh-What?" Matt shuddered. "No, that can't be...! They wouldn't- they...they..." He didn't continue. He knew he was defeated. He looked around, knowing he couldn't see the Overshadowers, but knowing they could see him. He wondered how many were surrounding them.

"So?" Tord asked menacingly. "Did you trick him or not?"

The voice sounded closer now. "You're saying we used Valentino's real name to alert the attacker, as they knew Valentino's name and not his nickname, and led him to us?"

"And then you pretended to be all protective of Matt so he wouldn't realize a thing!" Tom shouted. "You're fucking insane!"

"I'm sorry, Cake Mix...or maybe I should say Matt." A Feral stepped forward from the darkness. "We had to trick you. We had to obey them."

"Who's them?" Edd inquired.

"It doesn't matter!" Tom yelled. "You tried to hurt my friend! I bet everyone else was tricking us, too! You're monsters, all of you!"

"We're merely the dead souls of the hotel getting our revenge," the Feral replied. "You would be, too. We have to obey the laws here. We have to listen to them, or it is everyone's lives on the line."

"Don't say another word." A familiar voice erupted from the darkness, chilling Edd and the group to the bone.

"What, are you scared of your own fate?" the Feral challenged. "Do you really think you can help them? You already failed with your last group of friends."

With that sentence, the tension in the room rose, making a deep fog that clouded their brains.

The Feral continued. "I can reveal everything, you know. And then where would you be?"

"You must be forgetting that you would cease to exist as well," the familiar voice retorted. "Now leave them alone."

The Feral gave a wicked smile and leaned back on its haunches, almost as if it were about to pounce. Edd and the group stayed wary of it, hoping it wouldn't attack them. Adrenaline rushed through their blood, willing them to run away. They stayed frozen. They knew they were surrounded.

What happened next almost seemed to go in slow motion.

A thin sword of some kind flew out in front of them and landed in front of the Feral. It jumped onto the handle of the weapon and leaped forward, aiming in the direction of the voice. Another figure flew forward and tackled the Feral to the ground, then cast it aside into the crowd of the other Overshadowers. The figure didn't look human, more like an animal, but maybe that was just due to its speed because as it stood up, it was suddenly...

"Valentino!" Matt cried.

The teen didn't answer, only pulled the sword from the ground and pointed it at the Overshadowers. "Leave. Now." He sounded intimidating, like he meant it with every fiber of his being. The creatures suddenly blended into the darkness, and Matt knew they had obeyed. With that, Valentino turned to Edd and the group.

"That's a cool sword," Tord said.

"It is a rapier," Valentino answered. He sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose and moving his gaze downwards. "I wish you all could be more careful, and learn never to trust anyone," he mumbled.

"And yet you expect us to trust you?" Tom challenged.

"What?" Valentino raised his head to look at Tom.

"You heard me," Tom growled.

"Tom..." Edd warned. He grabbed onto Tom's arm protectively.

Valentino, however, was having none of this. "¡Explícame lo que estás tratando de decir!" he shouted.

Tom was understandably confused, as were the others. "Um...what?"

"That is all I am hearing from you!" Valentino yelled. "All I can understand is mindless gibberish! What are you trying to say? Explain!"

Edd, Matt, and Tord felt slightly intimidated. They had never seen Valentino this angry before. However, Tom wasn't the slightest bit nervous about this new side of Valentino.

"Alright, I'll explain." Tom held up his hands in surrender. "So, you keep telling us we can't trust anyone. Everyone here has been telling us that."

"Even the Overshadowers told me I can't trust my friends, or even myself," Matt added. "And now look what happened..."

"Exactly," Tom agreed. "However, while you keep telling us not to trust anyone, you expect us to always trust you. You keep saying we must trust you or it will cost us our lives. If we can't even trust our own friends, why should we trust a complete stranger like you?"

This did not sit well with Valentino. He looked even angrier than before, and fire blazed in his eyes. He opened his mouth continuously as if to say something, but nothing ever came out. He just narrowed his eyes, bared his teeth, and glared at Tom as if to scare him away. His fists were clenched so hard that his knuckles turned white, and his rapier looked ready to break from the force of them.

"So you realize you're a hypocrite, and you have no objection," Tom concluded. "Well, I guess we're finished here." Tom started to turn and walk away, but Edd held tightly onto his arm.

"Wait." Edd stopped him, letting go of his arm. "Valentino. What was that the Feral was saying about revealing everything?"

"And the thing about your fate...and how you failed to help your last group of friends..." Matt chewed on his fingernail nervously, then looked terrified. "No! My perfect nails!" He stared at his hand in disgust and fear, looking ready to cry. "Why did I do that?! My beautiful, beautiful nails!"

Edd ignored Matt's cries about his nails, even as the ginger collapsed to the floor in agony. He stood his ground and looked at Valentino with a mixture of fear and determination on his face.

Now was Valentino's turn to look scared. He said nothing, but Edd could see sweat drop from his pores. Edd knew he had struck a cord in Valentino, and he felt a little guilty, but this was what he had to do.

Valentino gulped, but kept his mouth tightly shut. One could almost hear his teeth grating one another, close to breaking from how tightly his jaws were clamped. He looked about ready to either cry or vomit, or maybe both. He was shaking, and his fists were unsure of whether to clench tighter or loosen. His eyes were wide in fear, and his adrenaline kicked in. He started breathing faster and his heart raced, blood roaring in his ears. He wanted to run away, or yell at them, but he could do nothing.

"Think also about why he bothered to save our lives from the Overshadowers when we can't trust him," Tom cut in from the wall. "He's obviously trying to gain our trust so he can betray us."

There was a clattering as Valentino's rapier fell to the ground. He didn't even bother to look at it. He just stared at Edd, Tom, Matt, and Tord. Silence tried to fill the hallway, but was blocked off by the thick tension hanging in the air. Fear ganged up with it, making the sound of heartbeats and hyperventilating the only sounds in the room. The occasional gulp made its way through the thick barrier.

"We've caught onto his trap," Tom concluded.

Valentino said nothing.

"That must've been the real you back in the room I was in," Tord declared. "Even Ashton tricked us into thinking you were an imposter."

Valentino didn't defend himself.

"Valentino...why would you?" Edd looked ready to cry.

Valentino just stood there.

"But...b-but...he's..." Matt couldn't bear to finish his sentence. He shook his head and looked down at the ground. "It can't be true..."

Valentino's eyes looked wet and shiny.

"Well, Valentino?" Tom raised an eyebrow. "Are you going to deny it?"

"I...I..." Valentino's mouth opened and closed repeatedly, but he couldn't say anything. He was choked up, like a big ball in his throat prevented him from making defenses.

Edd, Tom, Matt, and Tord waited for him to respond, move, do something to save himself from the grave he had dug.

A quiet "Te equivocas..." was all that came from Valentino's mouth.

"...What?" Tom said.

"Te equivocas." Valentino stared at the ground, his face concealed, but the others could tell he was crying. "Te equivocas." His voice became louder every time he said it. "¡Te equivocas, te equivocas, te equivocas!" He stamped his feet and screamed. He held his head in both hands, shaking it vigorously, and looked up at the others. His eyes were red and puffy, tears streaming down his face. His hands fell and clenched back into fists, his bitten-off fingernails digging into his palms.

"¡Puedes confiar en mí, lo juro!" Valentino said it so fast that even if the others were fluent in this language he was speaking, they would not know a word he said. "¡Por favor, no me hagas esto! ¡No quiero perder todo de nuevo!" He covered his face with his hands. "No puedes- No quiero- ¡Por favor!" He collapsed to the ground, shaking and sobbing. He was hardly able to breathe thanks to his sobbing and screaming.

Edd, Tom, Matt, and Tord had no idea what to do. They didn't know what he was saying, whether to trust him or not, or why he was breaking down. They just stood there, staring at him with frightened and guilty looks.

Valentino shook his head. "Lo siento mucho. Lo siento mucho." He kept chanting the phrase, almost to himself. He was shivering violently and hyperventilating. Wet droplets appeared on the floor beneath him, signaling that he was crying.

Edd looked to Tom. Tom stared back, then looked to Matt. Matt looked at him, then shook his head and turned to Tord. Tord looked at Edd with no emotion on his face. Edd mouthed, "What do we do?" Tom and Matt looked at Edd with guilty looks, but Tord turned his attention to Valentino.

"I say we just leave him here," Tord answered, looking at Valentino in disgust.

"Tord!" Edd was appalled. "We can't do that!"

"He betrayed us. He deserves it. Isn't that right, Valentino?"

The poor teen didn't look up as he replied, "I deserve nothing. I deserve nothing. I'm just a-" He broke off there, as the sobs choked him.

"See?" Tord looked at the others with a slightly unnerving smile on his face. "He agrees." The red-hooded man then stalked over to Valentino, looking as if he wanted to kick him, and picked up the fallen rapier still lying cold and alone on the floor nearby.

"I wonder how you use this thing," he said. "It has a hand guard, very effective...but it's not thick enough to shield any opposition. It must be more of an offensive weapon and better for quick attacks..." He kept mumbling to himself about the effectiveness of the weapon, then suddenly said, "I bet he was aiming for us with it earlier. Disgusting little-"

Suddenly, the rapier shattered. No, not just shattered - it exploded into...

"Rose petals?" Edd's voice cut through their confusion. The petals fluttered around and circled around Valentino. Instead of floating gently to the ground, they suddenly shot down to the floor around him and created a huge impact. Things like veins shot down the hallway, covering the walls. They flashed several different colors and sounds exploded around them. Images too fast to make out ran across the walls and ceiling. Everything shook, as if there was an earthquake. It was too much to bear.

"What the hell is going on?!" Tom yelled, covering his ears and squeezing his eyes shut.

"Let's just wait it out!" Tord shouted back, but he knew none of them could. The sounds vibrated inside them and the images flashed across their eyelids. They couldn't live with this for longer than a minute more.

"Stop it!" a faint voice shouted through the screaming vibrations. It was weak, childlike. "Stop, it hurts!"

There was another voice, angry and intimidating, but the group couldn't make it out through the static. The childlike voice came back, even fainter and unintelligible, and suddenly there were too many voices to count. All of them collided with one another, merging together and making everything so much worse. All the group could see was red and black, filling their vision and flashing over and over again. They couldn't focus on anything else. All there was that they could focus on was pain.

Through the pain and his clenched teeth, Matt screeched, "Calm down!"

It didn't stop. In fact, it just got worse. A lightbulb on the ceiling shattered, leaving pieces of glass on the floor and sparks alongside them.

"Matt!" Edd shouted.

"What?!" Matt screamed back.

"Use your mirror!" Edd responded.

Matt had to force himself to pry his hands away from his ears. Terrible sounds filled him, vibrating throughout his body. He hated hearing all the screams of pain and crying, but he got his mirror out from his hoodie pockets. He squinted his eyes open, hardly able to see through the seizure-inducing images flashing across the walls. He pointed his mirror at the walls, the ceiling, the floor. Nothing worked.

But then he pointed it at Valentino. And all at once, it stopped.

When they all completely uncovered their eyes and ears, it was a mess. The light blinded them. There were red marks on their faces from holding them. Their hair was ruffled, their eyes red, and their ears ringing. They were weak, shaking, and heavily breathing. They all slid down and sat against the wall, tired.

Valentino, however, had stayed in his spot the entire time, never having moved a muscle. He was breathing a little more heavily and seemed shaken, but overall was fine.

"What...in the fresh titty...just happened?" Tord asked.

"I don't know..." Tom breathed, "but never...use the words fresh titty...ever again."

They stayed there for a few moments, but soon Tom stood up. He shook his head to clear it, then held his hand out to Edd. He helped him and Matt up, but avoided Tord. The Norwegian stood up by himself, then looked to Matt.

"Give me your mirror," he demanded. Matt hesitantly handed it over to him. Tord snatched it from the ginger's hands and pointed it at Valentino.

"We're going to learn the truths of this place once and for all," Tord said.

Edd, Tom, and Matt stared at him in horror. "Tord, no!" Edd yelled. "This is going too far!"

"Edd's right, Tord," Tom agreed. "There's limits to both punishment and how much a person can take, and you've crossed that limit."

"I don't care," Tord replied. "We're going to get out of here, even if it means completely destroying Valentino's mental state." He soon realized that the mirror wasn't working because Valentino was covering his eyes. "Matt, get Valentino to stop covering his eyes. I can't see his memories when he does that."

"But, Tord..." Matt tried to protest.

"I don't care if you have to pry his hands away from his cold, dead body or not, you have to get his damn eyes open so we can get the hell out of here!" Tord screamed.

Matt didn't have to do a thing, though, as Valentino removed his hands and lifted his head. He looked at Tord with a face devoid of emotion, but eyes full of fear. Little lightning strikes formed from his eyes and trailed down to his chin. Those tearstains, however, weren't what made Tord hesitate.

They were the marks. All over his face and hands. Even from this far away, everyone could see them. They looked like scars, and showed up easily across his mocha-colored skin.

Tord looked down at the mirror. He choked back a cry.

There was an image that looked like Valentino in the mirror. He was backed up against what seemed to be a bedroom wall, looking terrified and breathing heavily. There was a shadow looming over his figure. It stayed still for a few moments, before soon raising an arm. Clutched in the hand it raised was a belt.

Before the memory could continue on, the image faded away and it showed the inside of the hotel. It looked to be an image of the hall behind Tord, and swinging just behind the group was a giant pendulum.

"Duck!" Tord screamed. He and the group obeyed just in time as the blade nearly missed them. It swung over Valentino and stopped at the end of the hall, then began to swing back towards them.

"We have to get out of here!" Tom yelled, turning and running.

"But what about Valentino?" Edd pointed to the teen, who seemed completely oblivious to the situation and was staring at the glass from the shattered lightbulb.

"There's no time," Tord answered solemnly before grabbing Edd's hand and running off with him. Tom and Matt were already at the end of the hall, where the pendulum could not get them. Once they were safely at the end, Edd looked back to Valentino.

"I have to get him," Edd mumbled, and before anyone could stop him, he ran out into the hall. The pendulum had made it to the other end of the hall and was making its way back towards them again. Edd grabbed Valentino's hand and pulled him up. Valentino muttered an incomprehensible protest as Edd ran off with him to the safe spot, the pendulum chasing them all the way. Edd turned the corner just to be extra safe and caught his breath there. Valentino stared at Edd like he was seeing someone dying right in front of him. Tom, Matt, and Tord walked over to the other two. Tom turned his attention to Valentino while the other two focused on Edd.

"Valentino..." Tom called the teen's name, who did not answer. He waved his hand in front of Valentino's face, but it didn't work. He tapped Valentino's shoulder, which brought him out of his trance. The brunet stared at Tom's hand like he had never seen one before, his eyes wide.

"Uh, Valentino?" Matt now focused his attention on the brunet, who stared at him upon being called. "Are you alright?"

Valentino tilted his head like a dog, as if he didn't know the meaning of 'alright'.

Tord now looked at the teen, angry and disgusted upon realizing that he was there. "Are you retarded or something?"

Edd was about to chew Tord out for using a slur, but Valentino was the first to react by crying out in fear and jumping behind Matt to hide himself. Matt jumped upon feeling Valentino's hands clawing into his back. The shivering body of Valentino pressed against him made him shake slightly as well.

"Hey, now, you don't have to be scared..." Matt tried to turn and pry him off, but the teen shied away from his hands, staring at Tord with terrified eyes and mumbling something.

"What'd you say, Valentino?" Tom inquired.

"He saw," Valentino said. "He saw them, now I'm ruined..."

Matt took this time to walk away from Valentino's grasp since the teen was now occupied with talking to Tom.

"He saw what?"

Valentino let out a quiet whimper before whispering, "The memories." He refused to say anything more, even when Tom prompted him with questions. Instead, he stood there with his arms wrapped around himself and his head turned towards the ground.

Edd, meanwhile, had opened a door and looked angry. Tord had turned away from him in a look of pride. Tom could only assume the two had had an argument and Tord had won. Edd sighed and walked over to Valentino. He placed his hands on Valentino's shoulders, making the teen cry out, "Stop it!" Valentino looked up and saw Edd there, and he instantly relaxed, whimpering out an apology. Edd looked sadly at him.

"Valentino, I wanted to bring you with us, but Tord refuses to do that, and I really have no choice but to just agree," Edd blurted out. "I'm sorry, but we're just gonna have to leave you here."

Valentino looked scared. He looked at Tord, who looked happy with himself, then at Tom and Matt, who both seemed uneasy. He looked back at Edd with begging eyes. The green-hooded boy had a guilty look on his face as he released his hands from Valentino's shoulders and turned away.

"W-Wait, you can't...Don't- Do not leave me here all alone..." Valentino tried to protest. "What if they come back? I can't...I cannot deal with that again..."

His voice fell on deaf ears as the four walked into the room and closed the door behind them.

*

The first thing Edd, Tom, Matt, and Tord noticed were dolls. So many dolls, mannequins, and other inanimate humanlike objects. An uneasy air fell across the room immediately, and not just because they were surrounded by dolls. Edd, Tom, and Matt were subconsciously straying farther and farther away from Tord. Now that they had seen how merciless he was...they were scared.

"Well," Tord said, startling the others, "let's go to the next room." He pointed to the door at the end of the long room and started walking towards it. As they walked, they studied the figures all around them.

Sitting on shelves and atop chests were ragdolls. Among them sat little porcelain dolls, music boxes, apple head dolls and cornhusk dolls. Puppets and marionettes lay discarded on the shelves or hung from the rafters. Mannequins and figurines stood along the walls, life-size and hardly distinguishable from humans. There were wind-up dolls, mini animatronics, models used for drawing, matryoshkas, even the dolls one would see in stores and give to their little girls. The kind that every child wants and practices motherhood with, but ends up getting nightmares from and abandoning it, allowing it to become haunted and vengeful. The group was a little surprised to see even scarecrows, stuffed creatures and teddies, and even a snowman there. However, at the end of the room sat the dolls that scared them the most: voodoo dolls. This was mostly due to the fact that when Matt searched among them, he saw one that looked just like...

"Valentino?" He gasped. He gently grasped the little doll, hoping he wasn't hurting it. He was fairly superstitious, believing in all of the supernatural and curses. These voodoo dolls were just one of the many outrageous things he had to believe and spent hours into the night researching, only resulting in scaring himself so much he couldn't sleep. He rubbed his thumb across the plush material, noticing how it had no pins stuck into it.

And suddenly, Tord was taking it out of his hands. "I wanna see if this thing actually works," he said maliciously. Before Matt could stop him, he grabbed a black pin from the shelf and impaled the little doll right in its little left eye.

There was a scream of pain from outside the room and what sounded like a garbled, "I'm sorry!"

Tom was the one to react first, grabbing Tord's free arm and wrenching it behind Tord's body. Tord let out a cry of pain, and Matt grabbed the doll from Tord's other hand and held it protectively. Before Tord could do anything, Tom grabbed his other arm and forced it behind his back.

"Wish I had some handcuffs," Tom grumbled.

"Kinky," Tord remarked, but received a quick kick to the shin from Tom in response. "Sheesh, why are you doing this anyways?"

"Because you're trying to hurt and kill another human being through voodoo," Tom said. "That's going way too fucking far, so I'm going to restrain you until you learn some common sense."

"He deserved it," Tord growled. He earned another kick to the shin.

"What do I do with this now?" Matt asked. He cradled the doll, looking at the pin in fear.

"You're the one who reads about all this stuff, Matt," Edd answered. "Shouldn't you know what to do?"

"They never said anything about pins actually causing pain to the real human!" Matt screeched. "Black pins are supposed to repel negative energy, and you have to use a black candle and pray some sort of chant and then the person will have positive energy! This one just stabbed him in the eye! What do I do? Do I take it out? I never read anything about taking pins out! That might just take out his entire eye!"

"What do all the other pins mean?" Edd asked. "It might still run on the same premise."

"Uh..." Matt tried his hardest to remember. "Blue means love...pink is death...yellow is success or fortune, red is power, white is...white is...what about green...That's all I can remember. But I know that pink is the only bad one."

"Put a red one in him," Tom replied from behind Tord. "Give him strength and power to get out of this."

"I say a blue one," Edd argued. "Love might be the best thing for him right now."

"Put a pink one in him," Tord demanded.

"I'll put a pink one in you!" Tom screamed.

"Getting frustrated, Tommy boy? Is pink code word for something dirty, hmm?~"

"What I'm getting is the fucking duct tape!"

Matt didn't know what to do under all the pressure, so he just jammed pins in wherever he could. Blue pin in the heart, red pin in the head, yellow pins in the hands...

There was just more screaming from outside the door. All it was doing was hurting him more. Matt screeched, still not knowing what to do. Edd ran over and grabbed the doll from Matt, deciding to just put it on the shelf. He knocked over the box of pins and they all scattered across the ground. In his state of panic, Edd dropped the doll.

A doll's hand reached out and grabbed the voodoo doll before it landed. Edd, Tom, Matt, and Tord stared at it, horrified. The doll had curly black hair and pure white skin. It wore a blue dress with a white apron and little black shoes. It had cracks along its face, looking like tearstains, and wore glossy pink lipstick. It held the little voodoo doll in its hands, green eyes unblinking and staring at the group. Its hands moved upwards to hold out the doll to Edd. Hesitantly, he grasped it. The doll moved its arm up and pointed a finger to the shelf. Shaking, Edd reached up and placed the voodoo doll gently on the shelf. All of the pins in the doll immediately fell out, and there was no screaming.

The doll bent down and picked up the box of pins, creaking as it did so. Once it had the box safely in its hands, all of the pins magically flew up and placed themselves in the box. Once the box closed, the doll handed the box to Edd to put it back on the shelf. He did so, and the doll bowed its head. Edd, unsure of what else to do, bowed his head back.

"You have good intentions," the doll said. "I trust you."

The group was flabbergasted. They stood still, eyes wide and mouths open.

"You need to trust me too," the doll continued, lips never moving. "Together, we can get Valentino to die."

"What the fuck..." Tom was the first to say anything.

"Please do not curse. There are children around." The porcelain doll pointed to baby dolls seated on the chests.

"I trust you," Tord said. "I wanna get Valentino killed too. He betrayed us."

"You support our efforts!" The doll clasped its hands together in joy, despite its face showing no emotion. "Thank you. We can team up!" It held its hand out for a handshake with Tord. Before Tord could handshake, however, Tom smacked the doll's hand and kicked it over. Cracks appeared all over the doll, making its face even more of a mess. It cried, sounding eerily similar to a baby. The lights flickered as the doll cried louder and louder.

One of the life-size dolls in the corner opened its eyes. They glowed, and the doll let out a hiss, as if it were releasing air. The doll opened up. Organs and blood spilled out, making a scene similar to what Edd had seen happen to Matt in the first round of deaths. Edd fainted on sight.

There was another doll amidst all of the organs and blood, covered in the entrails of the previous doll. It, too, opened up, and revealed more innards as well as another doll. The cycle repeated again, then one more time, and finally the smallest doll was revealed. During this time, both Tom and Matt had vomited, and Tord was slightly shaking. The heavy smell of blood and rot filled the room, making Matt want to lose his lunch again. He was trying to fan Edd awake, but decided it was better that he not wake up and see the mess.

The smallest doll opened its eyes and held out a decaying bouquet of flowers. "For you, my dear," it said.

Tord started backing away, but bumped into a mannequin. It grabbed Tord's head with its cold, plastic hands and started turning it, trying to snap his neck. Tord screamed. Tom punched the head off of the mannequin and pulled Tord away from it.

By now, Edd had woken up. He and Matt were waiting for Tom and Tord to catch up to them and run. Once the four had reunited, they hauled ass down the room. The dolls chased them and tried to trap them. A marionette tripped Matt. A drawing model dropped its stand on top of Edd's head. A scarecrow opened a cage and let crows out after the group. Finally, they reached the end and Edd pulled the door open. He let the others run out first, then followed them and slammed the door closed. The four stood there for a moment and caught their breath. Then, they took in their surroundings. They realized something - no, someone - was missing.

Valentino was gone. And all that was left in his wake was a trail of blood.


	15. Guilt

Edd, Tom, Matt, and Tord had many problems on their hands. First order of business: Finding Valentino. Then they would get to the apologizing for making him break down, mutiliating his body through a voodoo doll, et cetera...

So Edd and the other three ran down the hall, following the fading blood trail down the hallway and screaming Valentino's name as they went. They stopped where the blood trail stopped: at an intersection of the hallway where they could either keep going straight, go left, or turn around. Their lungs and legs hurt from running and screaming and breathing so heavily.

"What do we do now?" Matt questioned.

Tom was about to answer when they heard laughter down the hallway. It definitely wasn't Valentino's laughter, but it was familiar laughter. They turned left and went through that hallway. Upon turning the corner, they saw...

"Mars!" Tord cried. "And Rome and Warrior! So nice to see you three again!"

The redhead, ginger, and blond looked surprised for a moment, but put on warm smiles and walked over. "Hey, kid," Mars greeted, tousling Tord's hair. He looked unusually happy.

Edd, Tom, and Matt were not so fond to see them. After all, they hadn't seen them very often, and the only times they did see them, they did terrible stuff, like nearly kill Valentino. They grimaced. Warrior seemed to notice this and turned his attention to the three.

"It's been a while since I've seen you three," he remarked. "Can't forget those unhappy looks for a second."

"Don't try to get all buddy-buddy with me," Tom growled.

"Gee, what did I do?" Warrior shrugged to himself and turned back to his brothers. "Mars, shouldn't we stay with these four? They seem like they need something. Plus, maybe we can learn a bit more about each other this way."

"That sounds wonderful!" Mars agreed. "Come on, you all, let's go. Onwards!"

Edd, Tom, and Matt felt like they were a pack of dogs being led by a person with a whip. Tord, Rome, Warrior, and Mars, however, were happy. All seven of them continued down the hall.

"So," Rome began, "was there something you all needed?"

"Eh, yes, actually..." Edd decided to answer before Tord could cut in with a comment about hating Valentino. "We were looking for Valentino, and thought maybe you had seen him."

The three brothers nearly stopped in their tracks. "I heard him screaming earlier like the whiny brat he is," Rome said, "but otherwise we haven't seen him since...eh, when did we see him again, Warrior?"

"Since we got him from that room he was hiding in," Warrior answered.

"Oh, yeah." Mars snapped his fingers. "That was when he started acting like some bratty child again."

"Doesn't he always?" Rome remarked. The three brothers and Tord laughed.

"So, yeah, we don't know where he is," Mars responded. "Don't know why you're so worried about him anyways. He's a fucking joke."

"Exactly!" Tord agreed. "He kept saying all this shit in a different language and crying over nothing and he was so upset that we exposed his act of betrayal. I don't get him."

"So he betrayed you, too, huh? I guess you finally see what it's like to live with him." Mars chuckled.

"Why are you looking for him?" Warrior inquired.

"We may have accidentally poked his eye out with a voodoo doll..." Matt said quietly.

"And we made him cry," Edd said, feeling guilty all over again.

"Eh, don't worry about it, I'd say," Rome replied, putting his hands behind his head. "He's a loser. Let him cry and make him go blind. He really deserves all the shit he gets."

"We, or Tord, I should say, also revealed some of his memories through a mirror," Tom grumbled.

The group stopped. Mars, Rome, and Warrior turned to look at the other four in horror. "Which memories?" Mars asked.

"Only Tord can answer that," Tom responded. "We have no idea what he saw, because we were actually being sane."

The three brothers turned to Tord.

"You don't want to know what I saw," Tord said.

"Aw, come on, don't be a puss," Mars replied. He clapped his hand onto Tord's shoulder, making the brunet jump. "You can tell us."

"I don't think I should violate Valentino's privacy like that..." Tord mumbled.

"You already violated it enough by looking at his memories in the first place," Tom pointed out.

"But I could at least keep it secret for him!" Tord yelled.

"So you're finally regretting what you did, huh." Rome's voice sounded cold.

"Yeah, is that so bad? People change." Tord turned away and started walking ahead, refusing to talk any more.

"Jesus fucking Christ, just tell us!" Mars shouted, grabbing Tord and turning him around. "Even us brothers don't know what the hell he's been through, but a fucking square like you does!"

"Maybe because he doesn't fucking trust you," Tord growled. "It makes sense, considering you tried to fucking murder him!"

"He didn't trust you with anything!" Rome yelled. "You used some bullshit magic mirror!"

Mars turned his attention over to Matt. It seemed the redhead knew that he was the one who was in possession of the mirror. He stalked over to the ginger and loomed over him.

"Give me that mirror," Mars demanded through his teeth.

Matt smirked to himself. He pulled his mirror from his hoodie pocket. Edd and Tom stared at him in disbelief. However, Matt did something completely unexpected.

He smacked Mars right in the face with the hard back of his mirror. As he was doing so, he noticed a small scratch on Mars's cheek that looked to have been caused by some sort of rock. However, he didn't really care about that, since right now he was hopefully breaking Mars's nose. He put his mirror right back into his hoodie pocket, grabbed Edd and Tom's hands, and ran off with them. Tord fell into step beside them, passing Rome and Warrior along the way.

Mars wiped the blood from his nose and pointed at the retreating group. "After them!" he screamed, running with Rome and Warrior to get the four.

Edd, Tom, Matt, and Tord turned a corner and ran into the closest room. They slammed it shut behind them. There was banging on the door, but Tom held it closed as best he could.

"Matt, your mirror!" Tom yelled. "Make it disappear!"

Matt nodded, getting his mirror out again. He used the magic he had learned from Ashton and successfully made the door invisible. There were a few last bangs, but it soon stopped. Tom heard footsteps walk away from the door and sighed to himself, walking away from the wall.

And suddenly, they realized who was in the room.

"Valentino!" Matt cried. "Are you okay?"

The teen didn't even need to answer. The four could see how hurt he was just by looking at the wounds. He had bleeding scratches on the backs of his hands and in his palms. There was a rip in his sweater, right over his heart, and a deep cut across that area of his chest. They couldn't see any wounds on his head, but blood trickled out from under his hair and down his face. Finally, they turned their attention to his left eye. Around the eye was dark, as if he had gotten punched in the face and got a black eye from it. The eye itself had cracks in it, as if it were broken glass. Its color had faded from cinnamon brown to a dull gray-brown. Surprisingly, there was no blood.

However, it wasn't just the voodoo wounds that had weakened the boy. His lips were cracked and bleeding, he had bruises, his skin had gone pale, and his breathing was shallow. They knew that he probably had internal wounds, too. They had probably broken his heart. They didn't know what to do.

"Valentino..." Edd didn't want to finish his sentence.

"I can't see," Valentino mumbled. "I can't see."

"I'm...so sorry..." Matt didn't know what to say.

Valentino looked up at the sound of his voice. "You don't need to be..." He tried to stand up, wobbling a bit. However, he was too weak, and ended up just collapsing back down. Even Tord felt guilty upon seeing him like this.

Tom was the first to walk over and try to help him up. Valentino, however, refused. He put his face in his hands, wincing from the pain, and said, "Don't look at me. I'm awful just to see."

Tom obeyed, backing up, but said, "We're sorry for doing this to you."

Valentino was silent for a few moments before answering, "Why are you sorry? I did everything wrong. You did nothing."

"We kinda stabbed a voodoo doll of you," Tord admitted. "And I looked at your memories and all that..."

"I thought...I thought that was them..." Valentino muttered. "They always do that to me..." He shook his head. "As for my memories, it does not matter. At least you did not see...those ones." He shivered when saying it.

Tom dared to ask, "Who's this 'them' you're talking about?"

Valentino answered with a simple, "You know them." He sounded angry when he said it.

Edd, Tom, Matt, and Tord looked at each other with knowing glances. Matt sighed and said, "What do we do now?"

"The Overshadowers told you to ask me a certain something, yes?" Valentino looked at Matt.

"Eh, yeah...how did-" Matt started, but was interuppted.

"There's no time for that, just ask it." Valentino sounded impatient.

Matt was taken aback for a moment, but inquired, "What's the third challenge?"

Valentino smiled. "You get to see your favorite things."

"Our favorite things?" Edd looked overjoyed. "You mean I get to have Cola again?" He jumped up and down. "I get Cola again!"

"Is it kittens or Susan?" Tom questioned. "Honestly, I would love to see either one again."

"Mirrors!" Matt twirled around. "I love seeing myself!"

"I hope I get more ammo..." Tord said.

"Wait, please, do not get too excited so soon," Valentino interjected. "Challenges are not meant to give you hope. This one...it makes you learn that even your favorite things can be the worst of nightmares."

Edd, Tom, Matt, and Tord looked terrified. Now they remembered that challenges meant death.

"Now..." Valentino tried standing up again, grunting. He was able to make it up this time, but was very unsteady. "You four need to leave."

"But why?" Edd seemed upset. "We just want to help you, and now you're shooing us away?"

Valentino had a demanding sense of urgency in his voice. "This is not about me. This is about you. You need to go, before-"

It was too late.

Valentino's words were cut off as a bundle of vines shot through him. They went through the middle of his back and ended up impaling him. They hooked themselves into the floor to keep Valentino's body standing. The teen had a look of shock on his face. His mouth was open, blood trickling from it. His eyes looked close to crying even as they dimmed.

Edd was close to fainting upon the sight, but he tried his damnedest to stay conscious. Tom and Matt felt sick to their stomachs. Tord just felt wave upon wave of guilt.

And then the vines began separating from their spot in Valentino's torso. They kept moving further and further away from each other, until Valentino's body completely split open. The vines retreated into wherever they had come from and left Valentino's mangled body on the floor, still bleeding out. Even face-down, the state of Valentino looked pitiful, and the four could not believe that he had been alive just a few seconds before.

Edd let out a choked sob of "Matt, your mirror..." and turned to the wall, shaking. He kept chanting the phrases, "Don't get sick, don't pass out, don't get sick, don't pass out..." to himself. Matt wiped away a tear and got out his mirror, pointing it at the wall to uncover the door. Tom sucked in a breath, sounding as if he were in pain. He then turned and went to comfort Edd. Tord stood still, feeling extremely guilty for his actions. He kept turning over in his head what he had done, remembering every detail, his thoughts, his words, his actions, Valentino's screams and cries...

And as soon as Matt opened the door, Tord ran out and turned a corner, trying to get away from everyone as fast as he could. It wasn't just that he was crying hard enough to flood a river, but also that he didn't want to hurt anyone else. Edd, Tom, and Matt called after him, but he didn't hear them. He just kept running.

Tord had made it to a door and pulled it open forcefully, running inside of the room and slamming the door closed behind him. He caught his breath for a moment, then slammed his fist against the door.

"Damn it!" he yelled. He slid down to the floor, sobbing into his hands. "I'm such a fucking jerk... How could I do that to someone?"

Suddenly, Tord heard something akin to machinery. He turned around and looked at the walls. Slats opened up in the walls and revealed hundreds of holes that stared him back. Tord shakily stood up to try and get a better look at them all and figure out what they were. However, the door behind him opened.

"Tord!" Edd called. He, Tom, and Matt were standing in the doorway. They looked worried.

Tord turned to look at them. He stared at them, silent. He had a feeling what his fate was. But he turned to see them one final time. He smiled knowingly at them.

And then the shots rang out.

Dozens of bullets fired out from the holes in the walls, ripping into Tord at breakneck speed. They tore him apart bit by bit, leaving him looking like Swiss cheese. Edd, Tom, and Matt stared on in horror. Finally, the bullets stopped, and the slats in the walls closed once more. All that was left was a room devoid of life, as Tord's bloody and mangled corpse lay on the floor. It hardly looked like him anymore.

"Tom, Matt...I hate this..." Edd covered his face with his hands and started sobbing as soon as he finished his sentence. Matt clasped a hand on his shoulder and turned him away from the bloody mess. Tom sucked in a breath and followed them, closing the door so they didn't have to accidentally look at that sight again.

"That's what he meant by favorite things," Tom said to himself. He held his head, shaking it. He mumbled, "I don't feel good..."

"Now that's what I call interesting!" a voice yelled. "Feeling sympathy for your own worst enemies. That's what got Tord killed, you know."

"Shut the fuck up!" Tom didn't even look up from the ground. "You're sick!"

"Tom..." Matt sounded so scared that Tom had to look at him. "Look there..." Tom followed Matt's eyes over to the figures standing just a couple of yards away.

Mars, Rome, and Warrior stood there. Mars looked vengeful, with fire burning in his eyes. His nose looked crooked and still had dried blood around it. Rome was cackling, seemingly the one who had spoken up. Warrior just stood next to Mars with his hands folded in front of him. He had no emotion on his face.

"Rome." Mars turned his head to the still-laughing ginger. He had an unnaturally warm smile on his face that chilled Tom, Matt, and Edd to the bone. He then dug his elbow into Rome's abdomen. "He told you to shut the fuck up, didn't he? Listen to the man."

Rome coughed violently, trying to wrench Mars's arm away from him. He succeeded, but wasn't entirely better. He didn't say anything in fear of it happening again. Rather, he leaned against the wall, clutching his stomach, and glared at Mars. The redhead looked happy, and turned his attention to Edd, Tom, and Matt. He folded his hands in front of him.

"Well, I suppose I can forgive you for breaking my nose," Mars started off in a sugar-sweet voice. "You were just scared, after all. Let's start over, alright? We can be great friends." He held his hand out, waiting for them to take it in acceptance.

"Fuck, Tom, what do we do?" Matt whispered.

Tom was surprised to hear him curse. The purple-hooded man usually never cursed unless he was truly afraid or upset. He knew now just how scared the ginger was. The poor boy looked as if he had gone through another one of his nightmares. Tom looked to Edd, worried about him. The brunet looked like he didn't know what to do, either. His face was pale, his mouth was agape, and his eyes reflected feelings of terror and disgust. Tom felt a crushing feeling in his chest at the sight of this. He felt hopeless.

For the first time in his life, Tom was terrified.

So he did the first thing he thought of: grab Matt and Edd's hands and haul ass out of there. He pulled the two along and ran into the first room he saw. He then put a hand in Matt's hoodie pocket and pulled his mirror out, not caring if he brushed his hand across Matt's crotch, and pointed it at the door. He put his fingers on the glass and watched it bubble up, but instead of the bubbles being green like they usually were with the invisible door trick, the bubbles were blue. Tom was slightly weirded out at this change, but pointed the bubbles toward the door to watch them fly off and make the door invisible.

However, it didn't make the door invisible.

It put a lovely blue forcefield around the door, enclosing it. It even locked the door for them, as Tom could see it rattling and hear bangs on the door.

"Whoa..." came from Matt's mouth at the sight. "How'd you do that?"

"I...I don't know," Tom answered. "I was just...really scared for our lives right there. Maybe that's what triggered it?"

"Maybe..." Matt rubbed his chin. "Do you think that's how the forcefield got around the main door?"

Tom was confused for a second, but remembered the rose-colored forcefield around the door that was the entrance to the hotel. The forcefield that had led to accounts of betrayal and Valentino's near-death by asphyxiation. He snapped his fingers.

"You're on a roll today, Matt," Tom said. The ginger's face lit up.

"Hey, guys!" Edd called from the back of the room. "There's Cola here!"

Tom and Matt turned around to see the brunet running towards them with a can of Cola. He looked overjoyed and hurriedly opened the can. He smiled as he heard that lovely fizz and crackle of the can as it opened, and quickly put it to his lips and gulped it down. However, nearly as soon as he had taken a sip, he spit it out. He coughed violently and shook his head around.

"It's Diet Cola!" Edd wailed. "This really is a horrible place!"

Matt gently took the can from him and looked at it. He took a tentative sip of it, wincing at the taste. "Yep, that's diet. Gross." He looked at the can again and noticed the label was peeling off. He took the edge and peeled it completely off, revealing the label of Diet Cola. The ginger grimaced.

"Of course something like this would happen," Tom said. "This hotel will never let us be happy."

"Guys..." Edd was clutching his stomach and holding his head. "I don't feel so good..."

"It's probably just the Cola," Matt replied, tossing the can into a corner.

"No, really, that stuff doesn't make me feel this bad," Edd groaned. "I feel really light-headed, or like I'm gonna get sick..."

"Maybe it's just the hotel?" Matt sounded unsure of himself. "I think you'll be fine."

However, Edd's eyes glazed over and he suddenly collapsed to the wooden floor. Matt screamed and knelt down next to him, shaking his body.

"Edd!" Matt yelled. "Are you alright?! Speak to me!"

"Holy shit," Tom muttered.

"Edd!" Matt screamed again and held his friend tight in his arms, starting to cry. "I don't like this anymore! I don't like it!" Suddenly, he looked a little hopeful. "Wait, I can hear his heartbeat...! He's alive!" He laughed and wiped his nose on his sleeve, then made a sound of disgust as he realized what he just did. "Ew. But he just passed out!"

"From what?" Tom asked, leaning against the wall near the forcefield.

"The Cola, maybe?" Matt wondered aloud. "Wait. What if he's been poisoned?!"

"If he was, you would be poisoned too, Matt," Tom argued.

"But I work out! Edd doesn't! Maybe my immune system is able to take it because I'm healthier! Oh god, Edd!" Matt buried his face in Edd's stomach.

"He probably has low blood sugar, Matt." Tom was trying his hardest to reason with the ginger. "I wouldn't be surprised, considering none of us have eaten or drank anything since we got here, though I'm a little weirded out since we haven't even felt tired or hungry or anything..."

Matt's head perked up. "We'll give him the Cola! That has sugar, right?" Matt ran over to the fallen can and looked at the nutrition facts. The can clattered to the ground soon after.

"Diet doesn't have sugar..." Matt mumbled.

"I guess we'll have to go out and find some." Tom gestured with his head to the door.

Matt was quiet for a few moments. Tears streamed down his freckled cheeks. "I'm scared to go out there, Tom," Matt finally said in a hardly audible voice. The ginger sniffled and then collapsed onto his knees, sobbing into his hands.

Tom's heart broke at the sight. "H-Hey, now, it shouldn't be so bad, right?" Tom walked over to the ginger and patted his shoulder. "Surely they're gone by now."

"That's not what I'm scared of, Tom!" Matt wailed. "I'm scared of all the horrible things that will happen to us out there! And the horrible things that will happen to Edd if we go out there! I hate this damn place and I want out!" He screamed and slammed his head into his hands, sobbing even harder than earlier.

Tom didn't know what to do to comfort him. Matt had cried plenty of times before - though usually for things like getting a paper cut or not being able to get the perfect selfie - but never like this. Tom sighed and turned back to the wall. He slammed his fist into it, startling Matt.

"God fucking damn it," Tom said, holding his head in one of his hands. "It's all my fault that everyone got here and now everyone's falling apart."

"I-It's not your fault, Tom..." Matt had somewhat calmed down now.

"Yes it fucking is, Matt," Tom replied, not even bothering to look at him. "If I hadn't suggested those stupid haunted houses, we wouldn't be in this mess."

Matt tapped his chin. "Well...think about it like this, Tom. If we hadn't picked Hotel Perlè, we would probably still end up back here somehow. If we hadn't even gone to a haunted house, we would probably have gotten lost, asked for directions, and ended up here. It's all just a matter of fate. Everything happens for a reason, Tom. We're probably here to learn some big life lesson."

"Like how not to talk to random strangers and ask them for directions?" Tom suggested. The two of them laughed. Once they had calmed down, Tom looked up at Matt.

"You've got something on your face," Tom said.

"What?! Where?!" Matt patted his face, trying to get whatever it was off.

"It's an eyelash, hold on." Tom grabbed the eyelash and flicked it away. "There, better?"

"Much better!" Matt beamed. Tom couldn't help but smile as well.

A cat's meow interrupted their moment. They looked down to see a black cat crouched in front them. It meowed again, croaky and weak. Its yellow eyes glinted. Tom gasped and reached down to pet it. It sniffed his hand and pushed its head into his hand as acceptance for pets. Tom squealed and happily scratched the top of its head. The cat nuzzled him and made a weak purr, sounding like a rusty engine. Matt smiled at the adorable creature.

Soon, the cat turned, meowed, and trotted away. Tom followed it, wondering what it was doing. However, when the cat turned back to look at him, it started growling. Its claws dug into the floor and it looked like it was in pain. Tom backed away in fear. The cat began morphing, growing in size and changing color. It grew a fluffy mane, a long tail with a tuft at the end, and huge paws bigger than Matt's chin. This new lion growled at Tom, baring its humongous teeth. The brunet was frozen still, unsure of what to do.

Matt took his chance and slid in front of Tom. He held his arms out to protect the smaller man, making a face as intimidating as he could muster. "Don't hurt him!" he yelled, hoping to scare away the beast. However, the lion was just confused. Matt decided to pull out his mirror at that moment and bash the lion's nose. It roared and batted Matt's mirror out of his hand with one paw. It landed with a clatter on the other side of the room.

"My mirror!" Matt wailed, running towards his precious mirror. He crouched down to the ground, gently picking up the mirror and making sure it was okay. Despite being thrown across the room by a lion, it was unscathed. Matt sighed in relief, cuddling his mirror close to his chest.

Tom, however, was not so lucky. He had been screaming at Matt to stop being such an idiot and help him, but the ginger had not heard. While he had been checking his mirror, Tom had been thrown into the wall by the lion. He unsteadily stood up, hoping he could get Matt's attention now that the ginger was done checking his mirror.

"Matt!" Tom yelled. The ginger turned to look at him. "Get out of here! There's no way to beat it! Just run!"

Matt, of course, didn't want to leave Tom here to die. However, he knew that this was Tom's fate, and the deaths were fake anyways. He was also running out of time to get out, as the lion was ready to pounce on Tom. Matt turned to the forcefield and disabled it with his mirror. He ran to the door to make sure it was unlocked, but before he opened it, he looked back one last time.

The lion was inching towards Edd's unconscious body, leaving Tom's mangled corpse behind.

"Edd!" Matt screamed.

The lion turned towards Matt, licking its lips hungrily.

"Uh oh," Matt gulped. He turned back to the door and pulled it open, running out. He didn't care to slam it closed - he knew the lion was right at his heels. He sprinted down the hallway, running towards a door at the very end. He could hear the pitter patter of the lion's paws behind him, but didn't look back. He had to survive - for Tom.

Matt grabbed the door, pushing his way into the room. He slammed the door closed right on the lion's face. He locked the door, then pulled out his mirror and tried to make it invisible. However, it just made another forcefield - purple this time. He shrugged, figuring it was good enough, and leaned against the wall to catch his breath. He slid down the wall and suddenly started shaking. He felt so bad, leaving Tom and Edd to just die there. He felt terrible for letting Tord hurt Valentino and letting him run off and get killed. He felt awful upon recapping Valentino's death. The teen had just wanted to help - no, everyone had wanted to help everyone else - but now...

Matt held his face in his hands and sobbed. He hated crying so much - it ruined his face - but he couldn't hold it in any longer. He cried for Valentino, he cried for Tord, he cried for Edd and Tom and everyone in this cursed hotel. He cried for having to hurt Mars. He cried for having to run away. He cried for having to cry. They had all just wanted a fun time in a haunted hotel, but this...

This was hell.

"You can get out!" a voice called.

Matt's head shot up. He looked around the room. Tears still streamed down his face and blurred his vision, but he couldn't see anyone. So he replied, "Hello? Who's there?"

"You can get out of here! I believe in you!" the voice continued.

Matt stood up and walked to the center of the room. He looked all around himself, trying to figure out where the voice was coming from. "Who are you?" he asked. "Where are you?"

"Behind you," the voice whispered into his ear.

Matt shook, scared to death. He slowly turned his head to look behind him. Nothing was there. He looked all around the room. Nothing was there. Matt looked down at his mirror. It shattered. Pieces of the mirror flew all around him, falling to the ground. A black smoke emanated from the mirror, filling the room. It smelled like cake mix. Matt coughed, hoping this wasn't bad for him. He turned towards the door, hoping to get out of here, but remembered the forcefield. He took hold of his mirror, but remembered it was shattered. He couldn't get out.

Matt coughed again, more violently this time. It felt like something was stuck in his throat. He coughed more, to try and clear it, but a black liquid came out of his mouth instead. He stared at it, pooling on the floor. His mouth was agape, letting more of it pour out. He felt something running down from his nose and wiped at it. He looked down at his hand. More of the black liquid. He felt like he was crying, so he wiped away the tears. 

It was the black liquid.

Matt screamed, but the liquid filled his mouth. All that came out was a sick gurgling. He suddenly felt extreme pain in his stomach, like he was being eaten from the inside. He keeled over, clutching his stomach. He coughed up more of the black liquid. He felt something running down the inside of his ear. He didn't even have to shake it out to know what it was. He felt the liquid running down his legs, shaking a little from how cold it was.

Matt unsteadily walked over to the wall, sliding down it and sitting down. He clenched his teeth, hoping the pain would go away. It only got worse. The pain sharpened as he coughed up more of the black liquid. He felt it running down his face, desperately wanting to wipe it off. However, just raising his hand made the pain so much worse. He resolved to just sit there and wait it out.

Matt soon felt his body just shutting down. He felt numb, not even feeling the black liquid anymore. All he could focus on was the liquid pooling around him. He couldn't think, couldn't move, couldn't scream. He couldn't feel the pain anymore. But he was happy. He leaned his head upwards, staring up at the ceiling and smiling.

And everything went dark.


	16. Revenge

Edd heard a continuous ringing in his ears, almost like a bell. He didn't want to open his eyes, fearing it would make the throbbing pain in his head worse. He balled his hands into his fists, surprised that he could still feel anything. It felt so weird to awaken after death. It was like he had to learn how to use his limbs again, and his senses were dulled. However, the ringing was very persistent.

"Liberty!"

The ringing stopped. "What?"

"Do you remember what your father told you about that bell? He said you should not ring it so much."

Edd felt like he had heard that voice before, but his memory was so shaken right now that he couldn't remember who it was.

"You're not my dad."

Edd's eyes fluttered open. He squinted a bit, trying to adjust to the light, but could make out two figures at some sort of desk. One of them stood near what looked like a hotel bell, and the other nearly blended into the surroundings.

"I am your official babysitter. Since your father is not present at the moment, I am allowed to enforce his rules."

"I'm not a baby!"

The familiar voice chuckled. "You are fifteen years old. You cannot take care of yourself."

Now that Edd's eyes had adjusted, he could make out the figures clearly. One of them was a short teen wearing all brown - Valentino, he remembered - and a blonde girl next to the bell. She wore a white dress with black trim and a black velvet headband to match. Edd turned his head to look around him a little more. He saw his friends sitting next to him along the wall, all getting adjusted to the light. Matt was the only one with his eyes still closed, looking as if he were in severe pain. Edd wanted to comfort him, but didn't want to worsen his pain by moving around or talking.

"I can too!" the girl exclaimed, indignant. "You're the one who can't take of yourself. You always need my dad's help for stuff."

"I do not always need his help," Valentino replied.

"Oh really?" The girl looked smug. She twisted a lock of her hair around her finger. "Because sometimes I hear you and him talking, and I hear a lot of moaning and groaning..."

Valentino's face turned a deep red. "We do nothing of the sort! Do not accuse your own father of cheating!"

"You still like him." The blonde smirked.

"I have my eyes set on someone else," Valentino responded.

"Oh, right, you like the gi-" the girl started, but Valentino clamped his hands over her mouth.

"Keep your big mouth shut! I keep your secrets, you keep mine!" Valentino removed his hands, looking angry.

"Alright, alright." The girl held up her hands in surrender.

"Now go on to your father, Liberty," Valentino told her. "You should stop being so rude to the newcomers with your incessant bell-ringing and arguing."

Liberty just scoffed, but turned and left anyways. However, she turned back as soon as she entered the hallway. "Hey, Tino?"

"Yes?" Valentino looked impatient.

"Make sure to pound that ginger hard." She clicked her tongue, winking, and ran off down the hallway.

"Oh, you-!!" Valentino couldn't even finish his sentence. He held his face in his hands, his blush so red it appeared to melt onto his hands. He groaned. "What have I gotten myself into with this child?" He stood there in that pose, as if he were contemplating everything he had ever done leading up to this moment.

"My everything hurts!" Matt suddenly wailed. He seemed to have just woken up, as he didn't seem to realize what Liberty had just said. Valentino jumped back, startled. However, when he realized who it was, he smiled and clasped his hands together. He walked over to the group.

"Ah, you three!" he exclaimed.

"Uh, there's four of us," Tord corrected.

Valentino ignored his interjection. "I hope Liberty did not wake you. You really need rest after those deaths."

"Yeah, I think I need more sleep," Tom groaned. "This really fucking hurts."

Edd nodded in agreement. "I'm really light-headed..."

Valentino nodded thoughtfully. "The pain will soon wear off. Trust me, I have an unbearable stomachache. However, I suppose I deserve it since a certain someone thought it necessary to invade my privacy and use voodoo to hurt me!" He laughed coldly and walked back to the desk.

Edd looked over to Tord. The red-hooded man was emotionless, but there was fire in his eyes.

"Now, let us see here..." Valentino bent over the desk and looked under it. "Oh! It seems she stole something from one of you." He tsk'ed. "Typical." He grabbed the item, clinking as it came up, and held it up.

"My lucky Cola can!" Edd exclaimed. Valentino tossed the precious item over to him and Edd caught it about as gracefully as a seagull catches a jumping fish. He cuddled his Cola can and cooed to it, as if it were a baby. In his mind, it kind of was his baby.

"Oh my, there is another thing down here," Valentino remarked. He grabbed the second item and held up Matt's mirror. He smiled. "Well, well, well. You must be more careful with your mirror, Matty." He walked over to the ginger and crouched down, handing him his mirror. Matt didn't even notice until the teen was right in front of him, as his eyes were closed. He gingerly grasped the mirror, clearly in too much pain to be enthusiastic. He mumbled a thank you and held the mirror to his chest. Valentino looked concerned, but realized Tord was sitting right next to Matt and quickly grew an expression somewhere between repugnant and averse. However, before either could say anything, he walked back over to the desk and looked to see if Liberty had stolen anything else.

"Oh, dear, another one?" Valentino seemed like he was thinking aloud. "It is very far down there." He reached over as far as he could, his feet leaving the ground. "If I could just...grab it...!!" Valentino let out a screech as he fell over the side of the desk and landed on the floor with a thud. Edd quickly got up, regretted his decision as it made his head swim, and cautiously walked over to the desk to see if Valentino was okay. However, he saw something weird as he looked over.

Valentino seemed to be glowing, with an aura of a reddish-violet color - the same color as the forcefield that still covered the main door. He was covered with the marks, or maybe they were scars, and he seemed to be concentrating very hard. It stopped nearly as soon as it started, and Valentino let out a sigh. He didn't seem to notice that Edd was even there, as he focused his attention on the object under the desk.

"Ah, here it is," Valentino said. He pulled out a checkered bass with tape around the neck. He smiled and stood up. He seemed surprised to see Edd, Tom, Matt (who still looked in pain and was being supported by Tom), and Tord all standing there, but he smiled nonetheless and handed the bass over to Tom.

"Susan!" Tom was overjoyed and gladly took back his bass. He played a couple of chords to make sure it was okay, and hugged it tight to his chest. "I'm so glad you're okay, Susan!" He kissed the instrument and proceeded to cuddle it. Valentino seemed happy, but his smile wavered.

"Well, I'm glad the little brat didn't steal anything from me," Tord muttered.

Valentino heard his comment and replied, "I am glad too! I would not want to touch anything that your greasy, filthy mitts have touched as well." He clasped his hands together and smiled coolly, as if it made him happy to say such a thing. Tord just glared at him. Edd looked between the two of them, worried.

Valentino turned his attention over to Tom. "You name your instruments as well?"

"Who doesn't?" Tom asked, putting Susan in his pocket somehow.

Valentino giggled. "I suppose everyone does. Though, that reminds me..." Valentino walked over to the side of the desk, where Matt stood, and pushed himself on top of it. He kicked his legs as he spoke. "There is a room of instruments here." 

"Really?" Tom looked excited. "Could we go to it?"

Valentino scratched the back of his neck nervously. "We could, but...I do not remember where it is, and even if I did, it is likely that the room has changed by now."

Tom groaned. "Of course. This place ruins everything."

"I know." Valentino looked upset. "I am so tired of this place." He let out a heavy sigh and leaned back. However, he failed to realize that Matt was standing right behind him - or maybe he did it on purpose - and leaned right into Matt's chest. He looked up upon feeling it, and stared straight into Matt's eyes. The ginger looked down at him, confused. They stood like that for a moment before Valentino realized the gravity of the situation and screamed, "Ah! I'm sorry!" Matt stepped back, causing Valentino to fall onto the ground in a very uncomfortable-looking position.

"Eh, do you need help?" Matt asked. He looked uncomfortable despite his offer.

"No, no, I'm fine, I can get up by myself..." Valentino managed to stand up, shaking his head once he succeeded. "I should really look before doing anything..." he muttered to himself. He brushed off his sweater.

"Well, what do we do now?" Tom inquired.

"I guess we can go look around the hotel, as long as we don't take that freak with us," Tord growled.

"Tord." Edd nudged the Norwegian with his elbow, hard. The brunet didn't budge.

"I propose that we stay here," Valentino suggested. "Maybe you can get used to my apparent freakiness instead of continuing to hate those who are different."

Matt stepped in front of Valentino as a sort of barrier and said, "I think we should stay here so we don't have to go out in the scary hallways."

Tom seemed opposed to the idea. "Well, we can't progress if we just stay here. Plus, there's not really anything to talk about here."

"And we'd have to stay with this w-"

"Tord. Shut up." Edd cut in before Tord could finish insulting Valentino. The red-hooded man looked like he wanted to slap his own friend, but huffed and turned away instead.

"Be careful with your temper, Tord," Valentino warned. "You don't want to start hurting your own friends."

"Then how about I hurt you instead?!" Tord lunged towards Valentino, but Edd moved in front of him and screamed, "Stop it, both of you!"

Everything went silent.

"I don't want everyone to be fighting here!" Edd looked up at Tord. "Can't you two just put aside your differences for one second?"

"I can't believe you're siding with him," Tord muttered.

"I'm not siding with anyone!" Edd shouted. "I just want us all to get along! If we keep fighting like this, we don't have any chance of getting out of here! Tord, you keep your damn mouth shut and I don't want to hear anything else relating to Valentino from you! And Valentino-" Edd turned to the teen behind him, who looked scared. "Stop provoking Tord like that. It's not funny, no matter how much you laugh about it. Yes, I feel awful that Tord did such horrible things to you, but that doesn't excuse such a horrid attitude."

"I'm sor-" Valentino spoke up to apologize, but Edd cut him off with a "Don't." The teen shut his mouth, looking ready to cry.

"But-" Tord started, but Edd glared up at him. He didn't have to say anything for Tord to get the message.

Tom mouthed a "Wow" as Edd walked over to stand by him. Matt looked relieved, but still had a slight twinge of worry. Valentino and Tord didn't know what to do. Valentino, slightly hidden behind Matt, wrung his hands together and looked at the ground. He shifted from foot to foot, slowly inching himself further and further behind Matt. Tord scratched the back of his neck nervously and looked at everything that wasn't Valentino. Edd looked proud of himself.

"Now that's how you solve an argument," Edd said. He wiped his hands off and turned to Matt. "What do you say we do next?" The ginger shrugged.

Valentino, meanwhile, had made his way over to Tom and was looking nervously at him. When Tom turned to look at him, Valentino flinched and looked back down at the ground. Tom raised an eyebrow, but turned his attention back to Edd, who was having a debate with Matt over what to do. Valentino looked back at Tom, staring into his eyes. He wondered if Tom's eyes were really black or just sockets. However, he was scared to speak with Edd and Tord there, so he opted for the next best option.

He jammed his finger right into Tom's eye.

"Ow!" Tom screamed. He held his eye, hoping it wasn't bleeding. "What the fuck is wrong with you?!"

"I-" Valentino wanted to apologize, but with Edd now staring at the commotion, was still too afraid to say anything.

"Tom, are you alright?" Edd held Tom's arm.

"The little psycho over there tried to poke his eye out," Tord explained.

"Tord, what did I tell you about speaking?" Edd yelled. He turned to Valentino anyways. "Is that true?"

Valentino backed up, not knowing what to do. Edd sighed and turned back to Tom. "Are you alright?" he asked again.

"I'm fine," Tom said, pulling his arm away from Edd's grip. He let go of his eye, wiping a tear from it. "What the hell was that for?"

"I'm sorry," Valentino gasped. He was gripping his sweater and looking down at the ground. His voice cracked, as if he were holding back tears. "I just wanted to know if you really had eyes or not, and I could have just asked but I was afraid so I guess I really I am a psycho and-"

"Valentino, I can't understand a word you're saying," Tom said.

Valentino's response was to back up further, then start running towards the hallway. Edd grabbed his arm before he could make it though. Valentino screamed in both fear and pain, but didn't resist. Edd pulled him aside and held his shoulders. Valentino looked at the ground, ashamed.

"Valentino, look at me."

The brunet obeyed.

"You can't run away from your problems like that. Just calm down and explain what happened. Slowly." Edd smiled down at him.

Valentino shook his head sadly.

Edd nodded, understanding. "You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to. I'm always here if you need to, though." He smiled at the teen and patted his shoulder, but became concerned when he recoiled from the touch. "Hey, you're not scared of me, are you?" Edd meant it jokingly, but Valentino's reaction made him believe it was true. The brunet looked up at him, scared, and opened his mouth to say something, but then closed it and looked guiltily up at him. Edd sighed, then pulled Valentino into a hug.

The brunet tensed up. He didn't know whether to hug Edd back or just stay how he was. He didn't know if he had made Edd do this in some weird way of brainwashing or if Edd actually cared about him. Despite all his conflicting thoughts, he resolved to focus on how safe he felt now. Edd patted his back and let go of him. The teen wished he was still in the hug, but figured it was probably getting awkward.

"There, better now?" Edd asked, and Valentino nodded. "We should get going. Maybe we can look for the instrument room you were telling us about."

"B-But I don't remember where it is," Valentino protested.

"Can't stop us from trying." Edd grinned and instantly Valentino felt a million times better. He nodded, and Edd waved over Tom, Matt, and Tord. The three walked over, wondering what was going on.

"Come on, guys, we're going to find that instrument room!" Edd pumped his fist in the air and ran off to the hallway. Valentino hurried after him, with Matt, Tom, and Tord bounding off after him. Edd and Valentino led them, with Matt and Tom in the middle and Tord bringing up the rear.

"So, Valentino, do you remember the location of this music room at all?" Edd asked.

"Um...I think it was on the left side," Valentino answered.

Edd nodded thoughtfully. "Hey, what's your favorite color?"

"My favorite color?" Valentino echoed.

"Yeah!" Edd smiled. "We all wear our favorite colors. Do you?"

Valentino hesitated. "No. That would be...embarrassing."

Edd made a sound of confusion. "Why so?"

"I want to know more about you." Valentino changed the subject. "Is there anything you like to do?"

"I like drawing," Edd immediately answered. "And drinking Cola and taking care of Ringo and-"

"I like alcohol," Tom cut in. "Playing my bass is fun too."

"I like reminding myself how perfect I am!" Matt exclaimed. "It's so nice to look into a mirror and know how beautiful you are."

Valentino chuckled. "Yeah, must be nice..." He sounded sad.

"I like shooting guns." Tord sounded nonchalant, as if he were talking about a normal topic.

Valentino tensed up, but continued walking. He seemed a little wary, and when he spoke up, he had a tremor in his voice. "Who's, um, Ringo?"

"Ringo's my cat," Edd explained. "He's a grey tabby and super soft and absolutely adorable. He gets stuck in my hoodie sleeves a lot. He also loves food. I miss him. I hope he's doing alright, since he probably doesn't have any food at the house and has to go outside for some. I don't want him to get hurt..."

Valentino was beaming while Edd talked about his cat, but looked crestfallen upon Edd explaining how he missed Ringo. The teen tried to comfort him by saying, "W-Well, we will get out of here and make sure he gets plenty of love! Is he, by any chance, named after Ringo Starr?"

"Exactly!" Edd clapped his hands. "Finally, someone got it!"

"Hey, I got it when you showed me him!" Tom shouted, indignant.

"You don't count 'cause you're my friend." Edd crossed his arms, then realized Valentino had heard his remark. "I mean! It's not that you're not my friend, Valentino, it's just that I've known Tom since second grade and-"

"It is fine," Valentino cut him off. "At least you consider me a friend. This is the first time I have ever had friends who were alive."

The dark undertone to what he said filled the hall with tension. Valentino turned left at an intersection and the group followed. They were silent for several moments. Whether they were scared or couldn't think of more questions, they just couldn't speak. The silence followed throughout the hall, even when they turned left at another intersection. None of them spoke a word - not even Tord, who looked like he desperately wanted to say something but couldn't. By the time they took a third left, Edd figured something was going on, but Tom was the first to speak.

"Valentino, we're back where we started," he said.

Valentino jumped, as if he had crashed back down to earth. "Really?" He looked around. "Oh. I guess we are." He shook his head. "I really do not remember where this room is..."

"We can just try a bunch of doors," Matt suggested.

"I suppose that would be easiest," Valentino agreed. He walked over to the nearest door and pulled it open. "Oh. Empty. How disappointing." He gently shut it, looking as if he wasn't surprised.

"So we just gotta try more!" Matt's optimistic attitude shone through as he ran to the next door and opened it. "Nope!" He slammed it shut and tried the next. "Nope!" He repeated this a few more times, before Tord yelled, "Stop being so fucking annoying!"

"Tord!" Edd shouted.

"You said not to talk about Valentino, which means I can call Matt annoying as much as I want," Tord argued.

"That doesn't mean- Ugh!" Edd threw his hands up in exasperation. "Why do you have to be so..." He didn't finish his sentence.

"What was that?" Tord challenged.

"Just hush." Edd headed into the hallway and joined in the door-searching, leaving only Tord there, as Tom had joined Matt during the argument. Valentino was still by the first door he had opened, looking pitiful.

"Hey, jackass," Tord said.

Valentino didn't respond.

"What? Too much of a puss to stand up for yourself?" Tord laughed. "Gå gråte hjem til din mor, homse."

Valentino turned his head slightly, just so that he could see Tord through one eye. He glared at him, and Tord saw a flash of light before being thrown into the opposite wall. The crash echoed through the hallway. Edd, Tom, and Matt stopped in their search to see what was going on.

"What happened?" Edd called.

"He fell," Valentino responded simply. He stalked over to where the three were standing, wishing to join in the searching.

Edd and Tom didn't look so sure that Valentino was telling the truth, but Matt beamed and went back to checking doors. Valentino smirked and joined him. With shrugs, Edd and Tom joined the pair.

Tord, meanwhile, was recovering from suddenly being thrown against a wall by some kind of magic. He held his head and slowly got up, groaning. While he didn't say it aloud, he vowed to really hurt Valentino someday. It didn't sound as intimidating when he really thought it out. However, he knew he was going to have to get serious revenge for this. He had a plan already hatching in his mind. He just hoped all the puzzle pieces would fall into place. Soon, he was back with the group, not even bothering to explain what happened.

Nearly as soon as Tord was back, Matt exclaimed, "This must be it!" Valentino, right at Matt's side, nodded. He held the door open and gestured for Matt to go in. The ginger headed inside, with Tom coming next and Edd joining. However, before Tord could step in, Valentino went inside and slammed the door in Tord's face.

Tord couldn't wait to exact his plan of revenge as he opened the door and slipped inside, unnoticed by everyone. He was met by a room full of instruments, organized by type. The percussion instruments were on the right, the brass on the left, the strings and a grand piano at the back, and several others littered around the room. Even a harmonica and ocarinas could be seen. Tord took a few steps forward and promptly tripped over a leg. He looked up to see Valentino walking away with a proud smile on his face.

He was gonna get him good.

Meanwhile, the others were checking out the instruments. Edd was over by the wood winds, Matt by the percussion, and Tom was checking out the guitars. He seemed to be enjoying it, and upon reaching the bass guitar section, he screeched in joy. Edd and Matt walked over to see what the commotion was all about.

"They have Rickenbackers?" Tom sounded amazed. "And the Explorer?" Tom gasped upon seeing the next one. "Holy wristwatches on a picture frame, they have the 1969 Ampeg AMUB fretless bass?! Only seven hundred of those were made!" Tom jumped up and down and squealed.

Valentino smiled. "I knew you would love this room."

"Do you play any instruments, Valentino?" Matt asked.

"Oh, a few..." Valentino sounded bashful.

"You should play us something!" Edd exclaimed.

"Oh, I don't know..." Valentino tried to avoid looking at them.

Tom handed him an acoustic and pulled a stool up behind him. "Play."

Valentino chuckled and sat on the stool. "Alright." He checked to make sure the guitar was tuned and let everyone settle in front of him. Tord sat at a distance, looking thrilled to be there.

Once Valentino started playing, the mood in the room heavily improved. The gentle tone of his song calmed everyone down, allowing for a positive energy. His fingers moved across the strings slowly, the sweet song emanating from his fingertips. Finally, it slowed to an end, and he let out one last chord before looking up from the guitar to his audience. Their mouths were all agape. Even Tord looked amazed at what had just taken place.

"What song was that?" Tom asked.

"It is something I just made up," Valentino said, resting the acoustic on his lap.

Tom looked even more surprised. "Do you think you could teach me that sometime?"

Valentino's eyes widened and his face went red. "Uhm...o-of course! I...wasn't expecting you to like it so much..."

Edd clapped. "That sounded really nice! You're good at songwriting!"

Valentino tried to look everywhere but at Edd. "Well, I have had plenty of time to practice...and I did not work alone on this piece..." He smiled sadly, running his fingers over the wood of the guitar.

"Who worked with you?" Matt inquired.

"Just someone I used to know," Valentino answered, and that was all he said. He heaved himself off of the stool and placed the acoustic back on its stand. Edd, Tom, Matt, and Tord stood up as well.

"What were they like?" Matt continued asking questions despite Valentino's obvious attitude towards the subject. "Were they a friend of yours?"

"Matt." Valentino turned to look at the ginger. "Please. This is a topic for another time."

"Alright..." Matt looked concerned. Valentino just sighed in response, turning back to the guitar and making sure it was okay.

"Do you have a name for that one?" Tom questioned. "You said you name your instruments."

Valentino smiled. "His name is Tomás."

"That's interesting," Tom remarked. "It's pretty close to my name, huh?"

Valentino nodded, looking at the ground. "He's named after my father."

The room went dead silent. Considering the tone of his words, everyone could only assume something had happened to Valentino's father. However, when he turned back, he had a smile on his face.

"Would you like to see more of the instruments?" Valentino suggested. Without waiting for an answer, he led them to the back of the room. There stood the grand piano and the rest of the string instruments, which were all violins, cellos, the like. Valentino walked right over to the piano and patted it.

"I have always wanted to learn how to play piano," he said sadly. He looked like he wanted to say more, but moved on to a harp sitting in the corner. He sighed and rested a hand on its exterior, sitting on a small stool next to it. He just stared through the strings of the instrument, not saying anything.

"Hey, Valentino." Edd's voice brought the teen out of his trance. "You mentioned you play a few instruments, right? What do you play other than the guitar?"

Valentino chuckled. "Well, I know some of the basics of the piano, though not much. Same goes for the harp." He plucked a few strings on it, making a nice chord. He got up and walked over to the violin and viola side of the stringed instruments. Although there were many there, he seemed to have his eyes on one of them. It was high up, where he couldn't reach it. Even though there were plenty to choose from where he could reach them, he pulled up a stool and went up to grab that specific violin. He jumped down and held the violin out. It had beautiful rosewood and perfect strings. It had a picture of a rose etched into the body. On the bow, there was a design of vines weaving around it.

"This is the very first instrument I learned how to play." He sounded proud of himself. "It is very dear to me." He held the violin under his chin and put the bow to its strings. He played a few notes, his eyes so focused on the instrument that they almost looked closed. For maybe the first time since they had met Valentino, he seemed at peace. When he stopped playing, he bowed, violin and bow still in hand.

Tom nodded in approval. Matt clapped. Edd whistled. Tord just stood there with a scowl on his face.

"So you're left-handed?" Tom inquired.

Valentino looked surprised. "You noticed that?"

Tom nodded. "I like seeing what a person's dominant hand is. Usually, it tells a lot about their personality. Plus, it's just a cool thing to note."

"Can you sing?" Matt suddenly asked.

Valentino nearly dropped the violin. "W-What?" He said it as a word of surprise rather than confusion to what Matt had just said. He shook his head and said, "Um...I don't-"

"Sing for us!" Matt interjected.

Valentino blinked, his face going red. "E-Eh...I-I'm not very good..."

Tom snorted. "Surely you can't be as bad as Tord's walrus singing."

"It's true." Tord shrugged. "I sound like a narwhal giving birth."

Valentino laughed. "Even so, I cannot be much better."

"Come on, just try!" Edd coaxed.

"I really do not want to..." Valentino seemed uncomfortable now. He focused his attention on putting the violin back in its spot. The group understood and backed away from the topic.

"Well, now." Valentino jumped back down from the stool. "What should we do now?"

Tom shrugged. "Explore more rooms?"

"Sounds good," Tord agreed.

"I'm proud of you for finally being agreeable, Tord," Edd remarked.

"Well, it's just common nature." Tord beamed at Edd and turned to the door. He smirked to himself, since nobody could see him, and chuckled silently. His plan was working perfectly.

"Where should we start exploring first?" Matt asked.

"Well, there are plenty of more rooms in this hall that we had a glimpse of while looking for this room," Valentino said. "Perhaps we could start there?"

"Yeah!" Edd exclaimed. "Let's head out, then." He led the group over to the door. While walking, he turned to Valentino and held his hand up for a high-five. However, Valentino screeched and jumped back from the movement. He covered his face with his hands, shivering, but peeked out from between his fingers when nothing happened. Edd still stood there with his hand up, looking confused. The others were behind him, looking just as confused - with the exception of Tord, who looked exasperated.

"Sorry," Valentino mumbled. "I thought you were going to..." He didn't finish his sentence, but instead kept walking towards the door. He held it open for everyone. Thankfully for him, Tord was last, so he could once again trip him up. However, Tord was too quick, and jumped over Valentino's outstretched leg. Now he was the one to turn back and smirk at Valentino as he walked away. Valentino grimaced and exited the room, closing the door behind him.

"I did notice something over here," Edd commented, walking over to a door. "I thought I heard something from behind this door,like electricity or whirring machines."

"Let us start there, then," Valentino said. He opened the door, revealing an empty room. Edd stepped inside first, then Tord ran in after him. Tom and Matt went in, then Valentino went in as well. Matt was already holding his mirror, ready to make the door invisible, but Valentino shook his head.

"We have no need to do that here," Valentino responded. "We are safe."

"How do you know?" Matt questioned. He looked nervous.

"I have very good intuition." Valentino smiled and walked over to the group. Edd, Tom, and Tord were already sitting by a wall. Valentino settled next to Edd, in between him and a corner of wall that jutted out. Matt squeezed in between Tom and Tord. Edd had his phone in hand, looking to see if the supposed electricity meant there was Wi-Fi in here.

"What is that contraption you have?" Valentino asked.

Edd looked at him like he had grown another head. "A cell phone?" 

Valentino looked dumbfounded. "That...is a phone?"

Edd laughed nervously. "Yeah. What, have you never seen one before?"

Valentino tilted his head. "I have only seen ones with wires or receivers. I did not know phones like these existed. They are just little boxes!"

Edd held his phone out to Valentino to let him inspect it. "Have you never been outside before? These things have been around for ages."

"Since 2007, to be exact," Tom added. "I think on June 29th?"

Valentino looked up, surprised. "That's my birthday!"

"Then how the hell do you not remember them?" Tord laughed. "Have you been living under a rock?"

"How old are you?" Matt inquired.

"I am nineteen," Valentino answered. He had a deadpan look on his face.

"Nineteen?!" the group shouted in unison.

"With how you talk, it seemed like you were so much older!" Edd exclaimed.

"Especially since you don't know what an iPhone is," Tom commented. "I thought you were some kind of grandpa with that magical age-reducing makeup or whatever that's advertised everywhere."

"And here I thought you were older than any of us." Matt scratched the back of his neck nervously.

Valentino just shook his head and turned his attention back to the phone. "How do you work this thing? It only has one button."

Edd took the phone back. "Like this." He entered his password and revealed the phone's home screen. Valentino looked at it in awe.

"You just...touch the screen?" He seemed surprised.

"Yeah." Edd looked at him funny. "They're called touch screens for a reason." He turned back to his phone and clicked his tongue. "A text? Maybe the Wi-Fi does work here..." He clicked on his messaging, silently hoping it was someone looking for him and his friends. He hoped it was an alert that the police were coming to take them home. But of course, his hopes were crushed.

It was a text from that same no name, no number person before they even entered this hotel. It was listed as arriving "just now", whereas the other texts had come January 15th. Before reading the texts, however, Edd turned to Valentino.

"What's today?" he asked.

"You have a calendar app, dumbass," Tord cut in. "I wouldn't trust him with the time of day."

Edd glared at him, but went to check his calendar anyways. "Huh. January twenty-first. I thought it would be later than that."

"I told you we couldn't trust him!" Tord accused. "He told me that it was January twentieth!"

Valentino looked appalled. "When?"

"When I saw Ashton again, after you ran crying to your brothers!" Tord yelled. "I saw you and you said it was the twentieth! And then you tried to take me away somewhere, but thankfully Ashton saved me!"

"I did nothing of the sort!" Valentino argued.

"Guys!" Edd screamed.

The boys went silent, however the tension in the room did not clear.

"It's very obvious that it has been at least a day since we went through that adventure," Edd explained. "So just calm down and stop being stupid. Let me read this damn text." He looked at Tord, then to Valentino, then to his phone. He went back to his messaging app and read the text.

It read:

> Why are you still here?

Edd frowned and typed up a reply.

< Well, I can't exactly get out.

A reply came immediately.

> I mean, why are you still alive?

> You should have killed yourself long before now.

> It's easier not to care about you when you don't stick around for long.

"What the hell is wrong with this guy?" Edd muttered.

His phone buzzed. A reply.

> I had a feeling you'd hate me.

Edd wanted to pull his hair out, this was so frustrating.

< I don't hate you! You're just really weirding me out!

< Why do you want me to commit suicide? That's not right.

> You have no other choice.

> It's easier to just die before you get murdered.

"Uh, Edd...?" Matt sounded afraid.

"What?" Edd turned to Matt with a scowl on his face, then saw how afraid Matt looked and took on a concerned tone. "Sorry for that, I'm just frustrated. What's going on?"

"Look." Matt pointed a shaking finger to Valentino. Edd turned to look at him and gasped.

The teen looked horrified. He was shaking and mumbling unintelligible words ad his eyes looked like they were trying to roll back into his head. His eyes were wet and shiny, but the tears never fell. The marks were slowly appearing on his skin, including even the scars on his hands where Matt had done the voodoo magic. But that wasn't all that had gone awry.

The wall behind Valentino was slowly changing in color. The vein-like designs were crawling up it, spreading across the room slowly but surely. Edd's phone started vibrating like mad, a sound like static coming from it. Edd gritted his teeth and looked at his phone, then gaped.

Words were crawling across his screen, making it nearly entirely black. Texts were popping up in a flurry, but Edd couldn't see them beneath the words. He could hardly make out what the words even were. He just wanted it all to stop, so he hit the power button and screamed, "Valentino!"

And suddenly everything was back to normal. Valentino blinked, the marks disappearing, and looked at Edd in confusion. The walls were fine. Edd looked at his phone and hit the home button. It was fine.

"What the hell just happened?" Tom asked.

"It's all his fault!" Tord screeched. He stood up from the wall and pointed at Valentino. "Everything, everything here is all because of him! He's ruining our lives! He's trying to kill us!"

Valentino shook his head. "I don't-"

"Du stenge din jævla munnen, homse!" Tord screamed. "I don't want to hear your excuses! You're guilty and you god damn know it! Just fucking leave us alone!"

"Tord-" Edd tried to calm him down, but Tord yelled, "This isn't your problem, Edd!" He turned his attention back to Valentino, who was trying to become part of the wall by shrinking into it. He was shaking and crying.

"I know exactly why you're like this, too." Tord's voice was completely cold and void of emotion. This was the final step of his plan, to completely reveal Valentino's huge secret. He couldn't wait to make the fucker break down completely.

"You want to hurt us so badly because someone corrupted and brainwashed you," Tord continued, grinning.

Valentino knew what Tord was going to say next, but he couldn't do anything about it. He just shook his head, hoping Tord would stop.

"You were abused by your mother, weren't you?"

That sentence was all it took to break Valentino's heart. And Tord knew it, but he continued on.

"She beat you with a belt, didn't she?" Tord wanted to laugh, his plan was working so well. "She beat you over and over again and made you become the horrible person you are today."

"P-Please stop," Valentino choked out.

"I bet your mother beat you relentlessly." Tord smirked. "She hurt you for everything you did, even if you did something right. You had no choice but to follow in her footsteps. And now you're hurting us, because that's just what you do." He clicked his tongue in annoyance. "Du syk, syk jævel." He crossed his arms and waited for a reply.

Edd, Tom, and Matt, meanwhile, were horrified. Edd was staring at Tord with an appalled look on his face. He had a huge ball of anger, sadness, fear, and disgust stuck in his throat, but he couldn't bring himself to say anything. Tom and Matt were focused on Valentino. Tom had a hand over his mouth, wanting to comfort Valentino but afraid that he'd say something to make him feel worse. He also wanted to punch the daylights out of Tord, but knew he couldn't do that either. Matt was crying, tears streaming down his freckled cheeks in sadness and fear. He didn't know what to do, because all of his options seemed like the wrong one. He didn't want to just sit there and do nothing, but anything he could do would just make everything worse.

Finally, Valentino stood up, his legs shaky. He looked at Tord sadly, then started running out of the room. However, Matt was quick. He stood up and grabbed Valentino's arm, hoping that this action would be the best one.

It wasn't, and a collective gasp traveled throughout the room.

His tight grip made Valentino's sleeve ride up and reveal scars. These weren't the marks, oh no - these were fresh, as if they had been made just several hours ago. They were clean cut and looked as if they could open again any minute now. They looked like they were made on purpose. And just below that, Matt could see glimpses of more, though they looked less fresh.

As if Valentino had been doing this for a while.

Matt looked up at Valentino's face and held in a sob. The teen looked betrayed, then bit his lip and looked down at the ground, trying not to cry even more. Edd and Tom were up now, staring at Valentino's scars with terrified looks. Even Tord looked as if he were having second thoughts.

Finally, Valentino wrenched his arm away from Matt and ran out of the room, sobbing all the way. Matt stood where he was, so many thoughts running through his mind that he didn't know which to listen to. He settled on one of them and started towards the door, but Tom stopped him.

"He wants to be alone right now," Tom reasoned. "He most likely feels like we're going to hurt him again. If we go after him, we'll just hurt him more and make him trust us less." He patted Matt's shoulder and turned to Tord with a scowl on his face. However, Edd beat him to scolding him.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" Edd screamed, throwing every single profanity he knew into his lecture. "I can't fucking believe you, Tord! Even you have gone through shit like that and now you bully another person just because he seems untrustworthy with you. You call him a sick bastard but you're the only sick bastard here, Tord! You're fucked up in the head and you should be fucking ashamed of yourself!"

Tord stared into Edd's eyes during the whole speech, then sighed when it was over. Edd didn't even look at him after the fact. He turned to the wall, then said, "Maybe you should leave, Tord. Maybe we should all have some time to ourselves."

Edd didn't look back, even as he heard the footsteps of everyone leaving. One set stopped at the door, but Edd replied, "Go on, Matt. Just don't bother anyone, okay?"

He didn't see it, but the ginger nodded, and his footsteps retreated down the hallway.


	17. Quickly Bonding

Tom shuffled down the hallway, looking down at the ground. He couldn't believe what had just happened. He let it twist around his mind, trying to make sense of all the events that had just occurred. Even still, he couldn't understand why any of that had happened. He didn't even know who to blame. He sighed, shaking his head, and opened the first door he came across.

Tom was met with a room made entirely of water. The walls were water, the ceiling was water, the floor was water. None of it was falling - they acted as the room itself. It was like walking into a room made of ice. However, Tom noticed something strange on the left wall.

Valentino was sitting there, his knees pulled up to his chest. He was looking at Tom with no emotion on his face.

"O-Oh, sorry," Tom stuttered. "Uh...do you want me to leave?"

Valentino stared at Tom from the side, not doing anything more than that.

Tom knew this look like the back of his hand. He had seen it many times from Edd and occasionally Matt. It meant, "I want to be alone, but with company." Unsurprisingly, Tom expected something like this from Valentino. He seemed very similar to Edd - at least, to him.

Tom had known Edd for a very long time. They had been best friends throughout school and decided to own a house together long before they even got one. Tom had always cheered Edd up whenever he needed it. Edd often didn't want to talk about the issue, but still wanted Tom there just in case. They would sit there, silently, for minutes or sometimes an hour or more. Eventually, Edd would either vent his frustrations, or just laugh and say, "Thanks, Tom." And it would be over just like that.

Valentino, however, was a different story. Tom hadn't known him for more than a week, and already he had seen him in so many different emotions that he didn't know what to expect. Would he scream and cry? Would he try to kill someone? Would he be as silent as Edd? Would he even want to talk?

Tom sighed and decided to forget the risks and close the door behind him, stepping into the room completely. He noticed that the water didn't even make his shoes wet, despite sloshing against them. He looked around at the room, trying to see if there was anything besides water. He looked up at the ceiling and saw a large drop of water about as big as himself form and drop onto the floor. In the middle of the floor, the water raised up and made a cube, the water flowing from it.

Valentino gestured to it. "Would you like to take a seat?" His voice was monotone, completely devoid of any feeling.

"Eh..." Tom seethed, then walked over to the left wall and sat next to Valentino. The water cube dissipated almost angrily, a wave going across the floor from where it used to be. Tom tapped his fingers in the water, wondering about the physics of the room. It all rolled off his skin and clothes as if they were covered with a waterproof substance. He turned his focus away from the water and looked at Valentino.

His face was like his voice: devoid of any emotion. He was staring off into space. He seemed entirely off, as if everything about him had gone dull. Behind his eyes, however, Tom could see a million thoughts running through his head. He couldn't decipher them, but he knew so many gears were turning in there that it just might overload. It was like he could almost see smoke rising off of him.

Suddenly, Valentino's eyes looked at Tom. Tom flinched back, muttering an apology, and Valentino went back to staring into space. He looked so emotionless that it was almost like sadness. Tom wanted to say something, but he didn't know if he would set Valentino off or not. He debated with himself for a moment, then opted to lean back into the wall and close his eyes. It was like this for a long time.

Then Tom sighed and said, "What's your family like?"

Tom couldn't see it, but he could tell Valentino was surprised. He heard a little splash of the water, then finally opened his eyes. Valentino was staring at Tom, looking hurt. Tom cursed inside of his head. He had hoped the question would get Valentino's mind off of things, but it seemed to have just made things worse.

However, Valentino shook his head, sighed, and turned back to look into space again. Looking up at the ceiling, he replied, "I really have none left."

"Can you at least tell me what they used to be like?" Tom asked. "Start with your father, I guess."

Valentino heaved a deep sigh from his nose, closing his eyes. He was silent for a few moments, then finally said, "I guess you already know my father's name is Tomás."

Tom wasn't expecting Valentino to continue, but the teen suddenly started off on an in-depth explanation of his father.

"Papá was the greatest father," Valentino began. "He always cared for us, despite him working so much, and tried to spend as much time with us as possible. He always made the best food when he cooked, especially his paella. He had the warmest brown eyes that were always sparkling and he was always smiling and he was so enthusiastic. He always supported us and our abilities. He helped us so much."

Tom couldn't help but notice Valentino's emphasis on the past tense during his rant.

Valentino blinked back tears. "I remember, back when I was so little, Papá would carry me around on his shoulders. He taught me Spanish before I even knew a lick of English. He helped me with everything I needed help with, and he always made me happy, and he always made sure I was okay. He never hurt anyone. He never even yelled back at Mamá-" Valentino shook his head. "...my mother, during fights. He always made sure we were loved."

Tears trickled down Valentino's cheeks. "Even in his last moments...he told us he loved us." He covered his face with his hands and started sobbing. He looked as if he didn't want to cry, but had no control over it. Tom didn't know how to comfort him, so he stuttered an apology. Valentino looked up at him, his face red and his eyes puffy.

"N-No, I'm-" Valentino wiped his face on his sleeve. "I'm sorry." His voice was raspy and hardly more than a whisper. "I should stop being such a...c-crybaby in front of you." It looked like it caused him physical pain to say the word 'crybaby.'

"No, kid, it's fine," Tom assured him. "It's okay to cry, especially over a death in the family."

Valentino sniffled, then said, "I-I'm older than you."

Tom raised an eyebrow, then realized aloud, "Oh, right, you don't know our ages. I'm twenty-four, so uh...you're younger than me."

Valentino nodded slightly, or maybe it was just him looking at the ground.

Tom sighed, trying to figure out what to say. He settled on, "Your birthday is two days after mine."

Valentino didn't respond.

Tom had a feeling he was stepping into dangerous territory, but took a risk and asked, "What's the rest of your family like?"

"They hate me," Valentino answered immediately. His face was contorted into a scowl and he spat his words like poison. "They fake their love and they beat me and they make me feel like the most horrid person in the world. They write words in invisible ink on my skin and I have to see them every day and listen to what they say and believe it as the truth because what else can I do? They leave all these scars that can never be healed and even though some of them have disappeared, I can never forget them. They live in my veins so that I cannot survive without having to listen to their awful words. They killed me in the worst way possible. They ruined me, but they let me keep on living."

Valentino took a shaking breath at the end of his rant, shivering in his own anger. His teeth were grinding together and his fingers were digging into the floor. If he had fingernails that weren't bitten to the bone, they would certainly be scratching into the wood right now. He growled, focusing his attention on his leg and scratching at it. He went back to seething, then scratched his leg again, then back to seething, then screamed in his own anger. He muttered a string of Spanish curses and pulled up the leg of his jeans, then pushed down his sock and scratched his leg furiously. Tom saw scars covering his leg, some looking irregular and others looking as if they were made in a pattern. They seemed to all be intentional, however.

"Itches!" Valentino suddenly cried. "Why did I choose to wear long socks?" He pulled his sock back up - Tom noticed now that it went all the way to his thigh - and adjusted his pant leg back to where it was. He crossed his arms, turning away from Tom, and mumbled more words that Tom couldn't understand even if he knew Spanish.

Tom had never known anyone who had mood swings as intense as Valentino's. He didn't know if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

"Can we just-" Valentino cleared his throat and ran a hand through his hair. "May we talk about something other than family? It brings back bad memories."

"Alright..." Tom searched his mind for a question. "Still not gonna tell us your favorite color or have you changed your mind about it being embarrassing?"

A light blush dusted Valentino's cheeks as he replied, "It is still embarrassing."

"Hmm..." Tom tried to think of more questions. "Have a favorite animal?"

Valentino sighed. "I like goats. Though, deer are very pretty and graceful. Horses are extraordinary too. I love all animals, really." Suddenly, he made a little gasp of surprise and his eyes widened. He stared off into space with the same blank expression.

"Uh...Valentino?" Tom waved a hand in front of his face. "Are you alright?"

Valentino didn't even flinch. The room flickered from the water back into a normal room for a split second.

"Valentino." Tom poked him repeatedly, getting a little uneasy. "The hell's going on with you?"

Finally, Valentino shook his head wildly and looked at Tom. "Huh?" He didn't seem to know what had just went on.

"You blanked out for a minute there," Tom said. "Is everything alright?"

"Oh, I just..." Valentino looked at the ground. "I was remembering something."

"What did you remember?" Tom questioned. He suddenly gritted his teeth. "Uh, you don't have to answer that, actually."

Valentino smiled sadly. "It is fine. I was just remembering how I used to care for every single creature. I have saved so many little bugs that everyone else would squash in a heartbeat." He looked at the ground, still smiling sadly. "She always helped me with it. She understood my care for every life, no matter how small."

Tom didn't ask who this 'she' was, to avoid making Valentino upset. Instead, he asked, "Do you prefer coffee or tea?" Tom pretty much already knew the answer, but asked it anyways.

"Coffee!" Valentino exclaimed.

Tom was taken aback. "Really? You always seemed like the type to love tea, especially since you're, y'know, British."

Valentino laughed. "No, I love coffee. You must remember I am half Latino! I have grown my own coffee beans and made my own coffee." He giggled. "It helps keep me awake and energetic on days when I need it, especially..." He stopped his sentence there and went into a new one. "Well, I like tea, as well. I do not care for the taste, but it makes me feel better."

Tom made a noise of thought and inquired, "Then, is coffee your favorite drink?"

"No, actually," Valentino answered. "I love hot chocolate, especially on cold days when I want to be cozy. Have you ever topped it with marshmallows, whipped cream, and cinnamon?" Valentino sighed happily. "I guarantee it will be the best thing you have ever tasted!"

Tom chuckled. "You're really enthusiastic about all this, huh?"

"I. Love. Chocolate." Valentino laughed, snorting in the process.

Tom couldn't help but laugh as well. He hadn't heard the teen really laugh like that, and it was quite contagious. "Well, I guess it's your favorite food, then. Or at least your favorite dessert."

"Maybe as a snack," Valentino explained, "but not as a full favorite dessert. That spot belongs to churros. Or perhaps hot fudge cakes, or hot fudge sundaes. No, wait, it has to be flan. Oh, but what about torrijas? But then there are miguelitos!" Valentino held his head in one hand, shook his head, and laughed heartily. "I cannot choose a favorite!"

Tom smiled. He couldn't believe such a simple thing as getting to know Valentino would make them both so happy. "Can you choose a favorite food, then?" Tom asked.

"Oh, dear, I should've expected this one." Valentino snorted. "Carne asada has always been a favorite. Chorizo is good as well. I mentioned paella earlier, as well. I say 'as well' too much. Oh, right, food. Lechazo is good. And pizza. And anything spicy or sweet. Ever have straight-up hot sauce? It's great. Oh, and bread. Always bread." Valentino started laughing. "Oh, that reminds me of when I was younger. I could not pronounce pita bread, so I..." He laughed harder. "I called it puta bread! So I was running around yelling slut bread all the time!" He held his face in his hands and laughed uncontrollably.

Tom laughed along, and finally the excitement wound down. Valentino wiped tears from his eyes.

"I do not think I have ever laughed this much in my entire life," Valentino choked out from in between leftover laughter. "Do you have any more questions for me?"

"Yep," Tom replied. "You mentioned you like spicy things, so favorite spice, or even favorite hot sauce."

Valentino nodded. "Cinnamon is my favorite spice of all time. It goes with everything. Torrijas are topped with them, which is what makes them so amazing. Cinnamon makes anything amazing. Paprika is a close second, however. Oh, and my favorite hot sauce is Valentina. Unlike many hot sauces, it actually has a taste, rather than pure heat. I also like Cholula. The wood cork makes it taste...pure." Valentino smiled.

Tom nodded thoughtfully and thought of a question. He laughed aloud, then said, "No, you wouldn't." He stared at Valentino. "You don't do drugs, do you? Or drink alcohol?"

"Well..." Valentino smiled innocently.

Tom was taken aback. "No!"

"Yes!" Valentino squealed in laughter.

"I don't believe it!" Tom shook his head. "Really? When? What?"

"Mostly white wine, and occasionally zurracapote, herbero, or queimada," Valentino answered. "I have also smoked before, though that was a pretty awful experience and I hate it."

"Holy shit," was Tom's reply, and Valentino laughed. "No, really," Tom continued. "I didn't take you to be that kind of person. Were you even legal?"

"...Not the first time." Valentino snorted. "I will not go over the circumstances, but I will say that I got completely wasted on some sort of liquor and woke up nearly fallen out of my own bedroom window." He giggled, as if it were a silly circumstance.

"My god." Tom shook his head and pulled out a flask from his hoodie pocket, throwing it into the air and catching it. "And here I thought I was the alcoholic!" He laughed and unscrewed the top of it, taking a celebratory swig. "This is Smirnoff, by the way," Tom added. "It's a flavored vodka."

"Sounds interesting," Valentino remarked.

Tom nodded, then snorted and asked, "The hell is qui...que...what was it?"

"Queimada," Valentino corrected. "All you need to know is that it has cinnamon and makes blue fire. Sometimes chants are performed over it as well, though I have never done anything of the sort."

"Were you in some sort of Satanic cult before this?" Tom inquired.

Valentino burst out laughing. "Yes, I cut open lambs and drank their blood!" he mocked a strange accent and snorted, laughing even harder. "Ha...I have never been able to enjoy a moment this much."

Tom smiled. "Alright, what other questions can I ask you?" He closed his eyes and thought for a bit, mumbling a few words aloud.

"Do you mind if I ask you a question?" Valentino said. Tom, surprised, opened his eyes and looked at him, then said, "I don't mind."

"Edd's hoodie is green, right?" Valentino inquired.

Tom nodded.

"And his eyes?"

"Also green," Tom replied.

"Is Matt's jacket green as well?"

Tom nodded, confused as to why Valentino was asking all this.

"What about Matt's eyes? And your hoodie, too."

Tom looked at him strangely. "They're blue." Tom pulled on his hoodie as to emphasize the color. "Why do you need the clarification?"

Valentino tilted his head and smiled. "I am colorblind."

Tom's eyes widened.

"I know, it is hard to believe." Valentino nodded thoughtfully. "I see green as blue and yellow as pink. However, I sort of figured Edd's hoodie would be green, since he seems like more of a green person, you know? Plus, why would two people in the same group wear the same color hoodie?" Valentino shook his head. "I was confused about Matt, though. I could not tell what color his jacket was or what color his eyes were."

"Wow," Tom breathed. "I've never met anyone who's colorblind. Is it difficult to live with?"

"Occasionally," Valentino answered. "It hindered my artistic abilities, as well as made it difficult to get through the first year or two of school, what with all the color projects. I felt so bad for my art teacher, who had to put labels on everything to make sure I knew what color something really was."

"Have many friends in school?" Tom asked.

Valentino looked down sadly. "Not in my early years. People were too busy asking me what color something was to really become friends with me. Not to mention my teachers tried to beat the left-handedness out of me, which made me even more of an outcast." He shook his head. "Just in my last few years of school, though, I had friends. They really helped me out."

"That's kinda depressing," Tom replied. Then he snorted. "Wait. Learning that you drink means I can't assume anything about you. So you can't be a virgin, can you?"

Valentino froze. "I..." He sighed and wrung his hands together. "I am."

Tom half-smiled. "Well, you've at least had your first kiss, right?"

Valentino looked down at the ground and shook his head.

"Gone on any dates?"

Valentino went silent, then mumbled, "People preferred to beat me rather than date me."

Tom knew he shouldn't have asked that. He looked away guiltily. "Sorry."

Valentino turned to him, surprised, and cried, "¡No es tu culpa!" He realized what he said and shook his head. "I-I mean...it is not your fault." He looked down sadly. "It is my fault for being such a...such a...maricón."

Tom tilted his head, confused. Valentino knew Tom didn't understand what he said, but resolved not to tell him the meaning of it. He chewed on his fingernail, looking anxious.

"So..." Tom slowly turned his head towards Valentino. "Got a type?"

Valentino looked over at him. "What?" he said, muffled by his fingernail.

"I'm assuming you like tall, muscular gingers." Tom snickered.

Valentino's eyes widened and his mouth went agape in shock. "Is it that obvious?!" he cried. His face had a tint of red to it.

"Well, kid, you have to remember that I'm actually observant," Tom responded. "Matt's the most oblivious person I've ever met. He couldn't see your feelings if they smacked him in the face."

Valentino half-smiled, still looking worried. "I need to start controlling what I am doing around him..." He looked back at Tom. "What makes it so obvious to you?"

"Well, you always seem happier whenever he talks to you or is just present there," Tom began. "You're always a bit more...open to him, y'know? And your face gets the lightest hints of blush when he gets close to you. Not to mention you saved his mirror, fixed his finger, and generally just help him the most."

Valentino nodded, making mental notes.

"And sometimes you pitch a tent around him."

Valentino's face lit up like a Christmas tree. "What?!" he screamed.

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding!" Tom doubled over in laughter. Valentino pushed his shoulder playfully.

"¡Idioto! ¡No seas tan lascivo!" Despite what he said, Valentino still laughed along with Tom.

"Alright, alright." Tom held up his hands in surrender, still chuckling. "I can't think of any more questions." He put his hands down, then perked up. "Oh!" He turned to Valentino. "Are you still up for teaching me that song you wrote?"

Valentino looked shocked, his face still red. "You still want to?"

"Yeah!" Tom grinned. "I'd like to learn it."

Valentino beamed. "Yes! We can go do it now, if you would like."

Tom smiled back. "I'd love to." Tom stood up and held out his hand to help Valentino up. The brunet took it and pulled himself up by Tom's hand. Suddenly, Tom pulled him into a hug. It lasted only a few moments, accentuated by Tom's awkward pat on the back. He smiled at the teen afterwards and led him back to the room of instruments.

Little did they know that someone was watching them.


	18. Complicated Crushing

Matt walked down the hallway quietly. He had followed Tord's way of going left down the hallway, as Tom had gone right. However, he continued going straight where Tord had turned right at an intersection. Edd had stayed back in the room, as far as he knew.

His phone buzzed and he pulled it out of his jeans pocket. He didn't have a passcode to his phone, as he often forgot it and got himself locked out. He went to his messages and found a text from Edd.

> I just want to see if this works. Probably not. Oh well.

Matt beamed. 

< It works, Edd!

A reply came a few moments later. Matt texted his friend while walking through the hallway.

> Oh, thank goodness. I was worried I would get messages from that crazy sender again.

< Well, you didn't this time :D

> Where are you? I want to make sure we don't completely lose each other.

< I turned left earlier and just kept going straight

< Where are you?

> I'm still in the room. I wanted to see if this supposed Wi-Fi would work with other people.

Matt tapped his chin, then a lightbulb went off in his head and he quickly typed a reply to Edd.

< Maybe you can call the police

< To get us out of here

> ...Matt. Holy shit.

> You're a genius.

> I gotta go, Matt. I gotta get to them.

< Good luck, Edd! <3

Matt put his phone away, hoping and hoping that Edd could get through. He finally looked up and saw that he was in a room full of windows. Sunlight poured in, revealing tons of dust dancing about the air. Despite the sun coming in, the room felt cold enough to make Matt shiver. He stalked over to one of the windows and looked out. He saw a huge drop to the hill below and maybe two stories below this one. He gulped and turned back, pulling out his mirror. It felt as cold as the room.

The colors swirled on the surface of the mirror, showing that an illusion was nearby. Matt waved it around in front of him, looking for the source of it. The colors shifted to show the room, but Matt couldn't find where the illusion was. There were no secret doors or windows, no traps set near him, no Overshadowers or any other creatures. He had a strange feeling of being watched, but couldn't find anything. He even pointed the mirror to the ceiling. All of his efforts were in vain.

Suddenly, Matt felt a pressure on his mirror. He tried pulling it to his chest, but something was holding it back. Whatever it was grabbed his fingers, making him cry out from how cold it was. It tried to pry his fingers from his mirror.

"Stop that!" Matt yelled, trying to get the force away by keeping a good grip on the mirror. He staggered back, stepping into something cold. He shivered, then screamed in pain as the force started bending his fingers backwards to try and release his grip of the mirror. He fought desperately against the force and finally, it let go. With the momentum left over, Matt accidentally slapped his own face with his mirror. He groaned in pain and muttered, "Bollocks." He shook his head and held his mirror to his chest tightly, looking around for the source of the strange force.

Matt's phone vibrated. He jumped from the sudden sound, then scrambled to pull it out. He shook from anticipation, hoping Edd had gotten ahold of the police. He went to his messages app.

It was a text from a person with no name and no number.

> You're ugly.

Matt frowned.

< You're rude!!! >:(

A reply came immediately.

> Don't deny it.

Matt scoffed and put his phone back in his pocket. It vibrated a few more times, but he didn't get it back out. He looked at his mirror, to remind himself that he was beautiful. However, the colors had written a message on it.

"Don't ignore me."

Matt screeched and nearly dropped his mirror. He put it in his hoodie pocket. He noticed something in his peripheral vision and swept around. Nothing was there. However, he looked a little more closely at the walls and saw another message.

"You can't hide from the truth."

He noticed another forming on the wall to his left.

"You're disgusting."

He turned fully to find more and more appearing, writing hateful words.

"You're too prideful."

"You're such a pig."

"Just kill yourself already."

Matt shook his head. He couldn't believe the hotel was being so...petty. He humphed and looked over to his left.

There, written in huge letters, was the statement: "You care for yourself more than your own friends."

That was a shot to Matt's heart. He didn't like hearing that he hurt his friends. He didn't like to think that he hurt his friends. But it all sounded like the truth to him now. He covered his eyes, hoping that would shut it all out.

A voice whispered in his ear, "You can't run from us forever."

Matt screamed and swung his arms all around him, hoping to knock over whoever was trying to speak to him. He couldn't see anyone. The room started shifting, making those vine-like patterns from earlier. The voices kept whispering unintelligibly, but from their tones, Matt could tell they were talking about horrible things. He backed up slowly, then turned and ran towards the exit.

A wall slammed down in front of him, with the words "NO ESCAPE" scrawled into it hastily. Matt held back a scream and turned back to the room, scared for his life. He took a shaking breath and walked down the hall calmly and triumphantly. The room kept shifting and the voices kept speaking, but he blocked them out. He stopped in the middle of the room and took out his mirror, aiming it at the wall that had appeared before him.

Something invisible wrapped around Matt's body, making it impossible for him to move his limbs. He let out a screech and tried to shake himself from its grip. It didn't let go. The room shifted back to normal and the wall disappeared, but Matt still couldn't move. He leaned down to try and bite whatever was holding him back, but couldn't tell where it was. It constricted him tighter, making it harder to breathe. He cried out in pain.

"You abandoned your own friends," a snake-like voice whispered into his ear. "You've made them feel so awful. You ran away when they needed you most. You ignored them just as they had hope. You're a sick person."

"You're not real!" Matt yelled, then yelped as the creature held him tighter. He closed his eyes, trying not to cry, and looked down. He opened his eyes to see something coiling around him.

"Look into my eyes," the voice ordered.

"N-No," Matt choked out.

It coiled around him harder. Matt felt as if he might be split into pieces.

"Obey my orders," the voice commanded.

Matt stayed as he was with his eyes tightly shut. The thing coiling around him loosened a bit, but only to move part of it up to Matt's neck. It held tightly around there, making it impossible for Matt to talk or breathe. He could feel it breathing on his face.

"Open your eyes," the voice cooed. It sounded sweet and tempting now, persuading him. It held his chin gently. "I will make you realize what justice you need."

The thing wasn't coiling around Matt's legs quite as much anymore, since it had moved up to his neck. Matt forced himself to fall backwards, making the creature cry out in pain. It loosened its grip. Matt rolled over onto his stomach, keeping his eyes closed. The creature hissed and slithered off of him. Matt opened his eyes, seeing a whoosh of a tail disappearing down the hall. He sighed in relief and stood up, brushing off his clothes. He shook his head sadly.

"Illusions," he muttered. "No, I guess that's not what you call voices, though. What would you call those?" He tapped his chin.

"Auditory hallucinations!" a familiar voice answered.

"Thank you!" Matt exclaimed.

"You're welcome!" the voice replied.

It was silent for a few moments, then the situation hit the both of them like a brick. The voice screamed and Matt looked around wildly, getting his mirror out. He waved it everywhere, trying desperately to find what was there. He heard footsteps behind him and turned around. Nothing was there. Matt let out a sound of frustration and looked closely at his mirror. The colors were swirling and the room was getting colder, but nothing was showing up.

Finally, a hand appeared on the edge of Matt's mirror. It pulled the mirror down slightly, revealing the figure standing there to be Valentino. He stared at the mirror with a curious look, asking, "What is going on?"

However, Valentino failed to realize that since his hand was touching the mirror, the surface began bubbling up. He didn't notice until the substance shot up and bounced off the ceiling. Valentino jumped back, screaming, and ran behind Matt. The ginger didn't care to look at him. He focused on the light bouncing off of every wall, finally hitting the ceiling and then blasting into the floor. The impact created a huge flash of light and a gust of wind. Matt shielded his eyes. Once the dust settled, Matt opened his eyes and gasped as he saw the ground.

It was covered with cracks, as if it could fall apart at any moment. It looked as fragile as ice. Inside the cracks was a silvery substance. With the sunlight falling onto it from the windows, it looked rainbow-colored. It glimmered in the light. Once he got over this shock, Matt remembered that Valentino was there. He turned around, only to see nobody there.

"Valentino?" Matt called out. He looked all around the room, but the teen was nowhere to be seen. He shrugged to himself and started walking.

The floor started to creak and shift beneath his feet. Matt jumped back as the floor began breaking apart completely. It split in the middle, bending and opening up to an endless abyss. Matt hurried back to the hall he had come from, running along the falling floor. However, the piece he was standing on fell from under his feet. He screamed and latched onto the closest thing he could find. He held on tightly to a sharp piece of floor, not caring about the splinters. He tried crawling his way up, but the floor he was holding onto was falling as well.

"Help me!" Matt cried. He tried desperately to hang on and get up, but he was slipping with every second. He felt himself falling.

Something grabbed his arm - tightly. It held onto him for dear life. All Matt could see was a dark-skinned hand and a brown sweater.

_Valentino!_ Matt thought happily. _He's going to save me!_

It didn't go how Matt thought it would, however.

Instead of pulling Matt up to safety, Valentino just kept holding on. An ear-piercing sound started up and Matt's vision swam. Everything spun around him and it felt like his body was being torn to shreds. The last thing he saw before everything went black was a rose-colored flash of light.

***

Valentino wasn't surprised when he appeared in a different place than before. That was just how it all worked. He was, however, surprised at the fact that he woke up lying on the floor. His vision was still blurry, and there was the strange scent of gingerbread in the air.

Gingerbread?

_That is weird_ , he thought, _I do not remember baking-_

Wait a minute.

Valentino shot up and looked around. He saw Matt lying down on his side next to him, completely passed out. Valentino screamed and jumped up. He hadn't meant to land so close to him.

"Matt!" Valentino shouted. The ginger didn't wake up. Valentino tentatively walked over to him and gently shook him. "Matt, c-come on, you are scaring me..." His vision started swimming and he started breathing faster. The room began shifting with his worry, vine-like designs sprouting from the walls.

"Oh no, no no no no," Valentino chanted. "I just wanted to help him and now I have probably killed him and now everything is going to fall apart and-" Valentino hugged himself and shook his head, trying to rid it of the intrusive thoughts. The room began changing back to normal. "Calm down, Tino, he is surely fine. It's just the problem with the use of powers here." He took a deep breath and crouched next to Matt. He turned his body over so that Matt was lying on his back and saw his chest rising and falling with each breath. He sighed, relieved. Matt was okay. Suddenly, the situation hit Valentino like a punch to the face.

Valentino was stuck in a room. Alone. With Matt. Who was passed out.

Valentino felt his face heat up. He had been hoping for a situation where he and Matt could be alone, but not quite like this. He had wanted a situation like he and Tom's just moments before. Maybe he could've taught Matt how to play an instrument, guiding his probably soft hands along the strings of a guitar and-

_Calm down, Valentino, he'd never let you touch him like that._

The teen sighed and resolved to look at the walls, but his gaze always returned to Matt. He couldn't help but notice how cute he looked as he slept. He had a peaceful look on his face, and his chest rose and fell in this graceful manner. He looked so...vulnerable. As if Valentino could do anything to him and he couldn't resist, couldn't refuse.

Valentino slapped himself. _Don't think like that, tu hijo de puta enfermo!_ he screamed to himself in his thoughts. _That's a horrible thing to do to him._ He shook his head to clear out the dirty thoughts. He just stared back down at Matt, hoping that he would wake up soon. However, he changed his mind upon noticing Matt's mirror slightly sticking out from his hoodie pocket.

Matt could use that mirror against him. Valentino didn't think Matt could ever do such a thing, but...

He just couldn't risk it.

Valentino slowly stuck out his hand to grab the mirror, keeping his gaze on Matt's eyes as he did so. His fingers brushed against the handle of the mirror. He used his thumb and index finger to pull it out more so he could fully grab it, but as he did so, his other three fingers brushed against Matt's stomach. A shock of electricity shot through him at that slight touch, making all the blood in his body rush to his face. He just hoped it wouldn't reach in between his legs as he continued to take Matt's mirror. Finally, he got it successfully from Matt's hoodie pocket and held it gingerly. He felt how cold it was and looked down at it disdainfully. He hated how these things could so easily pick out his memories, especially since they sucked out the ones he thought about most.

The ones of his most trusted people betraying and abusing him.

He growled and got up to hide the mirror somewhere. He went to the left corner of the room, pulling up a board and hiding it under there. He made sure Matt could not possibly find it. He had to keep the ginger occupied enough to not ask for it, too, or else they would never be able to talk. He turned back to Matt, and the memory of just ever so slightly touching Matt's abdomen came rushing back to him. In just that one touch, he could feel how taut Matt's muscles were, and just how much care he put into his body. He could imagine how toned he might be under those clothes.

"Get your head out of the gutter, Valentino!" the teen whisper-shouted to himself. He held his face in one hand, trying to wipe his own blush off. He _really_ hoped Matt wouldn't wake up soon.

A ringtone drifted to Valentino's ears, startling him. He jumped and uncovered his face. A light came from Matt's jeans pocket.

The phone.

He muttered curses under his breath. That contraption again. Last time hadn't gone so well. He knew it couldn't be good to go through it again. His head was starting to hurt already, his vision going fuzzy. He had a feeling that something bad would happen. His head throbbed at the thought.

Finally, the phone stopped ringing. Hope filled Valentino and he relaxed. He stepped over to Matt, hoping to get the phone out of his pocket before he could wake up. He didn't want another Strange Texter Tells My Friends To Kill Themselves situation. He stepped quickly but quietly, desperately wishing he would succeed.

"Ugh..." Matt groaned. "My head..." He held a hand to his head as his eyes fluttered open.

_Damn it_ , Valentino thought.

"Where...am I?" Matt asked. He looked around, despite still lying on the ground. "Am I dead?"

"You are fine, Matty," Valentino answered flatly. He crouched down next to Matt. "We are in a room."

Matt's eyes widened. "Oh, right." Suddenly he gasped. "You saved me!"

Valentino's face turned red. "I-I guess, in a way," he stuttered. Somehow this man made him even more flustered than Rumor did. He wasn't even doing anything! His existence was all that Valentino needed to become this flustered.

And then Matt's phone rang, ruining the moment. The ginger sat up and pulled his phone out of his pocket. He beamed when he saw the name on screen.

"Edd!" he shouted. "Maybe he got to the police!"

Valentino swiftly stole the phone from him before he could hit the "Answer" button. He became confused at the buttons, especially because just the sound of the phone ringing made his head pound. His vision went dazed and he froze, unable to do anything. Matt stood up and took his phone back, however the ringing stopped before he could answer.

"What was that for?" Matt asked Valentino, clutching his phone to his chest.

"Don't answer him," Valentino replied. He clutched his head, rubbing his temples. "It gives me a headache."

Matt's phone began ringing again. He shook his head and turned to Valentino. "Valentino, I need to talk to Edd," Matt began reasoning. "He needs to know I'm okay. He might have something important to say."

Valentino shook his head wildly. "It hurts!" He held his head in pain and paced around.

"Can't you just deal with it?" Matt looked at his phone impatiently. "Or go outside the room?"

Valentino stopped, turning to Matt. "Going outside won't help!" He seethed, grinding his teeth together. "I will still be in pain, a-and what if something happens in here? I wo- will not be able to help you."

Truth be told, Valentino didn't care about the pain as much as he cared for Matt. He could deal with it if it meant Matt would be okay in here and they weren't separated. He was just worried the pain would make him do something he might regret, which would hurt Matt.

Matt sighed. "I'm sorry, Valentino, but Edd needs to know I'm okay. You're just gonna have to deal with it." He hit the answer button and held his phone to his ear.

"Matt?" Edd sounded worried.

"I'm here, Edd."

"Oh thank fuck! Shit, sorry. I mean- sorry!" Edd laughed. "Are you alright? You didn't answer my calls before."

"I'm sorry, I was..." Matt looked over at Valentino. He was covering his ears and shaking his head. Matt turned away from him. "I was passed out."

Matt had to hold his phone away from his ear as Edd screamed, "What?!" He put it back as Edd continued, "Are you alright? What happened?"

Matt decided to go for a shorter version of the story right now and tell the whole thing to Edd later. "The floor started breaking apart, I nearly fell through, but Valentino saved me and we were transported to this room somehow. I only just woke up."

Edd sighed in relief. "I'm glad you're okay. Is Valentino alright, too? He didn't seem so good after...you know." Edd didn't seem to want to bring it up.

Matt didn't want to stop talking to Edd because of a silly little headache that Valentino had. He figured the teen was overreacting, so he lied and said, "He's fine. He's just standing around."

Valentino, meanwhile, felt as if his head was going to explode. There was a pulsating pain behind his eyes. He felt like it was trying to force his eyes straight out of their sockets. He bit his tongue to keep from crying out in pain. He just had to endure this. Surely it wouldn't last long.

"That's good," Edd replied.

"Did you ever get in touch with the police?" Matt asked.

"I tried, but..." Edd sighed. "They never picked up. Something was blocking the line."

Matt felt tears prick his eyes. "I just want to get out of here..."

"Me too. We just gotta get through this." Edd moved on to a different topic. "Did you hear that big sound wave earlier?"

"Sound wave?" Matt echoed.

"Yeah, there was this huge pulsating wave or something that spread all throughout the hotel," Edd explained. "That's why I was so worried about you. I talked to Tom and Tord and they said they felt it too."

Matt thought about it for a second. "Maybe that was when I was transported. It sure felt like a huge sound wave that was ripping me apart. But then again, why wouldn't it have moved you too?"

"I don't know," Edd replied. "This whole place is weird."

Matt snapped his fingers. "Or maybe it was what broke the floor! I was using my mirror when it started revealing an illusion, but it just made this huge explosion and then the floor was breaking beneath me."

"That's probably it," Edd said.

"How were Tom and Tord?" Matt inquired.

"They were good," Edd replied. "Tom was apparently hanging out with Valentino. They had a nice guitar lesson, but then Valentino started acting weird. According to Tom, he started phasing out a whole lot and his head kept hurting. He said he probably just needed some air, so he stepped out of the room for a while and Tom hasn't seen him since. He's just stayed in the instruments room since then."

"Good thing he left, then," Matt laughed. "Otherwise he couldn't have saved my life." He turned to glance at Valentino again. The brunet was digging his fingers into the wall, his head resting against it. Matt just turned away and focused on his conversation with Edd. 

Valentino wished he could blow his brains out. It'd probably hurt less than the pain he was going through right now.

"Yeah." Edd laughed along. "Tord's alright, too. He found a library. He's just been reading books there to calm down and get his mind off things. He doesn't know how to feel about the situation with Valentino just yet."

Matt nodded thoughtfully. "What have you been doing?"

"Just making sure you all were okay," Edd said. "Thankfully nothing weird has happened with me."

Matt laughed. "Good!"

Edd didn't reply.

"Edd?" Matt was getting concerned now.

The voice that then came from the other end wasn't Edd. It was a garbled mix of several voices, all saying so many things that Matt couldn't make out all of them. One screamed, "It hurts!" over and over again. Another said, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" and cried. Finally, it ended with a shout of some unintelligible and the sound of shattering glass, or maybe ceramic.

After that, it was just a dial tone. Matt hung up, shutting off his phone and putting it back in his pocket. He set his lips in a grim line and turned to Valentino. The brunet was banging his head against the wall, possibly in an effort to stop the pain but just making it worse. Matt hurried over to him, hoping to comfort him. Maybe this wasn't just a silly little headache he had thought it was.

"Hey, Valentino, the phone's off now," Matt said. "You're okay."

"It still fucking hurts!" Valentino shouted. He slammed his fist into the wall. A pulsating wave reverberated throughout the room, making Matt's hair blow back. He gaped, staring at Valentino. The teen grabbed his head with both hands and groaned.

"Eh..." Matt didn't know what to say or do. "Maybe my mirror will help?"

Valentino froze. His insides screamed at him, telling him to do something, but he couldn't find an option that would help him. He felt like someone was playing the drums with his skull. He couldn't think straight and everything was fuzzy and he felt close to breaking down. A static burned through his head, making everything unclear. He felt upset and he didn't know why.

"Oh, wait..." Matt shook his head before even checking his pockets for his mirror. "Mirrors show your memories, right? I don't want to do that to you."

"Yeah, well, I would not want to break it either," Valentino mumbled. He wanted to finish there, but ended up adding, "And I would not want to have to see my ugly face again."

Matt was appalled. "You're not ugly!" he claimed, indignant.

"That is easy for you to say," Valentino growled. "You always know that you are perfect and beautiful and the greatest person on the planet. What about us unfortunate ones? Why could we not have been born with the same ego as you? Why could we not have been equal? Instead, you all are so happy with yourselves, and we are left wondering whether killing ourselves will be the only way out of this damned hellhole called life!" He turned to Matt on his last line, swinging his arm around, fist clenched, as he did so. Thankfully, he didn't actually strike anything.

Valentino hadn't meant to cause such an outburst. In fact, he found Matt's narcissism endearing. He thought it would be amazing to have someone with such a love for themselves and everyone else. However, right now, he just wanted to be angry. He didn't even have a reason. He just felt upset.

Matt gasped, then regained his composure and looked defiantly at Valentino. Then, he smiled and said, "Well, if it weren't for us, you wouldn't have anyone there to remind you of how perfect you are."

Now it was Valentino's turn to gape. He made a tiny noise of surprise, his face going red. Matt continued smiling at him, waiting for an answer.

"B-But..." Valentino started, but closed his mouth. He couldn't think of what to say.

Matt looked down at him, with those sparkling blue eyes of his. Valentino found them gorgeous. He couldn't believe how naturally blue they were. He was so happy to find out that they were, indeed, blue. He couldn't have lived without ever seeing what Matt truly looked like. His blush grew deeper, thinking of all the possibilities as to why Matt was staring at him.

Finally, Matt chuckled. "I really don't see why people would hate you, or even why you would hate yourself."

Valentino opened his mouth to object, but Matt placed his finger on Valentino's lips. He shook his head and shushed him, saying, "Don't say a word."

_Holy shit_ , Valentino thought. Matt had his finger on Valentino's lips. Valentino kept quiet, since Matt wanted him to, but was screaming on the inside. Matt was touching him. No, correction, Matt was touching _his lips_. Valentino felt close to fainting, especially because all of the blood in his body had once again traveled to his face. The touch lasted only a second, but it felt like hours.

Matt laughed and put his hands in his jacket pockets. He said something, but Valentino didn't hear it. He was too busy still internally freaking out over the touch. He touched his lips with his fingers gingerly. Had that really happened?

Matt waved a hand in front of Valentino's face, startling him. He chuckled. "I said," Matt began, "what do you want to do now?"

_I want you to touch me again_ , Valentino thought. If only.

"Um..." Valentino tried to look anywhere but Matt's face. "Maybe we could just stay here? It might be better to just...relax."

Matt nodded. "Yeah. Then it'll be easier for Edd to find us, if he needs us." He suddenly realized something. "How's your head?"

"Better," Valentino answered simply. The pounding had moved from his head to his heartbeat by now. His thoughts were still jumbled around, however. Matt smiled, then gasped as he looked at the room. Valentino looked up, wondering what was going on.

The room was slowly shifting, becoming a beautiful scene. Grass tickled their legs and the night sky enveloped them. Thousands of stars filled the air, revealing constellations. Matt's eyes sparkled like the stars and he beamed. Valentino, meanwhile, was wishing he could give all those stars to Matt. He noticed how they lit up his face, making his smile brighter and his eyes bluer. He smiled to himself upon noticing that the pattern of the stars looked akin to his freckles.

Suddenly, Matt grabbed Valentino's arm in a tight grip and pulled him over to the middle of the room. A jolt of electricity shot through Valentino's body from the touch. He let himself be basically dragged along, wondering what Matt was planning to do. He also couldn't help but notice that Matt had large hands - at least, in comparison to his own. He wondered what it would be like to be held by those hands. They could probably choke him easily-

Valentino mentally slapped himself. Thankfully, Matt had stopped and was now looking at Valentino. The brunet looked back up at him, an awed look of wonder upon his face. Matt chuckled, then let go of Valentino's arm and sat down on the grass. He patted the spot next to him, gesturing for Valentino to sit down. Hesitantly, he obeyed. Matt then laid down on the grass, his arms behind his head and his eyes closed. Valentino laid down as well, his arms by his sides. His hands grabbed at the grass anxiously. Matt laughed.

"You're gonna pull up all the grass, Valentino," Matt said, gesturing to Valentino's hand. "Relax, like this." Matt put his arms back under his head again and sighed happily. Valentino copied his movements, feeling a cool breeze come over him. He opened his eyes and noticed that his sweater was riding up.

_Oh dear_ , Valentino thought. He didn't want Matt seeing that atrocity of chubbiness and scars. He swiftly pulled his sweater back down and opted to put his arms across his chest. That seemed relaxed, right?

"Do you have any nicknames, Valentino?" Matt asked. He was looking expectantly at Valentino now. "Since you have a nickname for me, maybe I should have one for you.

"Ehm..." Valentino cleared his throat. "Well, my brothers call me Val, though my friends call me Tino. Of course, you could call me Len, Valen, Valley, et cetera. There are many nicknames for my name. You can choose whichever you'd like."

"I'll call you Tino then!" Matt declared.

_Oh god, it was so much cuter coming from Matt's mouth._ Valentino's face turned red. He didn't know what to say. Alright? Thank you? Sorry? He looked back up at the sky, trying not to think about it too much. Matt smiled and stared up at the sky as well.

"Do you have a favourite flower?" Matt questioned.

Valentino smiled. "The rose," he answered, "is my favourite flower. They are so beautiful, and graceful, and...perfect." Like you, Valentino added in his mind.

Matt nodded. "I like lilacs. They're really pretty." He smiled, then inquired, "What's your favourite season?"

"Winter," Valentino replied. "It is the season of rejuvenation and a time of rest and peace. Not to mention all the snow." He chuckled.

Matt laughed along with him. "Autumn is my favourite season. It's really fun to play in all the leaves! Plus, the colors they change to are really pretty. I don't know how you stand winter, though. I get cold so easily!"

Valentino smiled. "I do not know how people stand the heat. I would melt if I went outside in twenty degree weather."

Matt nodded thoughtfully. He looked up at the sky, then turned back to Valentino with a serious look on his face. Valentino looked back, concerned.

"Who was that person you were talking about earlier?" Matt asked. "Who helped you with the song?"

Valentino looked back up at the sky, closing his eyes. It was a silent for a few moments, before Valentino finally spoke.

"Her name was Annabeth."

Matt tilted his head. "Was she your girlfriend?"

Valentino burst out laughing. Matt, taken aback, suddenly sputtered, "W-Wait, I mean, I just thought- I didn't mean to assume your sexuality!"

Valentino responded, "No, no, I get what you mean!" He laughed again. "I am just surprised you think I could ever get a date." He shook his head. "She was my...best friend. We did everything together. We played in the snow and the leaves and the rain. We would play games and sing songs and write our own. I would paint whatever I imagined and she would write novels based off of them, or vice versa. She was always so caring and taught me so much. She helped me with my colorblindness and always supported me. She would comfort me when I had nightmares. She was even the one to drive me to the hospital when I fell out of a tree and broke my arm." He wiped his eyes. "She was everything to me."

A memory came rushing back to Valentino. He was in a car, staring out the passenger window at all the houses they were passing. Annabeth was driving, keeping her eyes on the road. Suddenly, she said, "Tino, look at that car over there!" She pointed to it, on the other side of the road. Valentino leaned his head over to look at it. She glanced over at him with a smile on her face and looked back at the road.

"Wasn't it such a beautiful green?" she asked. "It looked like mint!"

"It looked more aqua to me," Valentino mumbled.

"Tino, you're forgetting you're colorblind," Annabeth laughed. Valentino laughed with her, then looked down sadly.

"Do you think I will ever see normally, Annabeth?" Valentino questioned her.

Annabeth was silent for a few moments. "I don't know, Tino," she finally answered. "Maybe someday, technology will be able to do that. It's advancing fast, you know."

"I hope so," Valentino replied. "I want to see the world the way you do."

"Maybe it's better if you don't," Annabeth said. "The way the world looks to me sucks ass."

Valentino and Annabeth burst out laughing, and the memory faded.

"Tino!" Matt suddenly shouted. Valentino crashed back down to earth and looked at the ginger. He was staring at him, concerned. "Are you alright?"

"I am...fine," Valentino said. "I just..." He looked up at the sky. 

_It was nighttime when it happened, right?_

"I remembered her for a moment," Valentino finished.

Matt stared at Valentino sadly, then focused his attention on the sky as well. They were like that for a while, before Matt said, "Were your brothers always so cruel?"

"Of course not!" Valentino immediately exclaimed, turning to Matt. He sounded almost hurt by the question. His cheeks flushed with indignation. "They were so nice to me, and they always supported me, and..." Valentino sighed and turned away.

"Mars is the oldest of us, thirteen years older than me. He is the strongest and he always spent most of his time out on runs or at the gym. When he was not doing that, he was helping out with me. He was probably the one who supported me most, considering I am the youngest. He encouraged me and always made sure I was happy. He loved making me smile and joked around with me and asked if I had a good day and he did so much for me. He helped me with my projects and was always amazed by how well I did and always said, "I knew you could do it!" after every successful attempt I made. Even when I made mistakes, he helped me out.

"Rome is the second oldest, ten years older than me. He is the fastest and the star athlete. He is great at pretty much any sport that does not require tackling. Despite his small stature, he even made it onto the basketball team. Mars trained him with all his workouts and he was always full of energy and raring to go. He was always practicing and tried to get me into sports all the time. I was not very good at it, but that did not stop him from continuously dragging me into them. He was probably the most popular out of all of us, considering his records and all the competition he got. He was probably the closest to Mars, as well, since they did nearly everything together, and of course that means he supported me when Mars did.

"Warrior is the second youngest, seven years older than me. He is the smartest out of all us. He spent hours upon hours locked in his room, studying away. He always got straight to work on anything, completing his assignments before the teacher even assigned them and doing extra credit work all the time. He could help anyone with a problem and was a tutor for many students in his free time. In fact, he often helped me with problems, and is probably the reason I got the grades I did. He excelled at everything academic and had many who looked up to him. He did not really support me the way Mars and Rome did, focusing more on my academic tastes than my creative tastes, but he always made sure I knew he loved me, like a brother would."

Valentino sighed. "And then, there is me. The failure of the family. I was more of an accident than anything. I never excelled at anything that would be worth something. I was, and I suppose I still am, the girl of the family, if you will. I cooked and cleaned and helped out with chores rather than play sports or work out. My mother hated that I never did any "manly" jobs, like a boy should, but my brothers and my father did not care. They knew I never really had a set dream in mind. I just took what life gave me and went along with it. When I found my passion for art and music, that is what I set out to do, but...my mother never agreed to it. Even when I found a job in babysitting to do something worthwhile, she berated me for doing "the woman's job." Valentino stopped there. "Well, I suppose that is a tale for another time. The point I am trying to make is that my brothers never used to hurt me or hate me. They loved me and I looked up to them so much. I do not know why they are who they are today."

Valentino actually did have a few ideas in mind as to what changed them. He just couldn't bear to say them out loud. He didn't want Matt - or anyone - to know what he did.

_That night caused it all, didn't it? It was all my fault._

Another memory came to Valentino. This time, he was just waking up in the middle of the day, groggy and with an awful headache. He sat up, holding his head, and rubbed his eyes to get the sleep out of them. He was still in his regular clothes, for some reason, and had woken up in Rome's bed instead of his own. His vision was fuzzy and he couldn't remember much of what had happened before he had fallen asleep. He didn't even know how long he had been asleep. He opted to go out into the living room to see if his brothers knew what was going on. Voices drifted to him as he stepped into the hallway.

"Mars, I'm just saying that it's better if we tell him the truth," Warrior was saying. "Lying won't do any good for him."

"Warrior, lying protects him," Mars argued. "Do you think I want to see my brother traumatized forever? He's been through Hell and back having to live with you know who, and so have we. I can't tell him what happened. It'll ruin him."

"Hey," Valentino called out as he entered the living room. He gasped as Mars turned to him, holding an ice pack to his face. "What happened?" Valentino questioned, all sleep falling out of his voice.

"I got in a fight," Mars answered simply.

"Mars..." Valentino sighed. "You should be more careful."

"I was doing it to protect some kid, Val," Mars replied. "I'm fine."

"I know you are very protective of others, Mars, but I really do not like to wake up and see you hurt so much," Valentino said.

"Just be happy I'm not dead," Mars responded.

"How'd you sleep?" Rome asked.

"Not well," Valentino replied. "I feel so...disoriented. Did something happen? I cannot remember anything."

Mars, Rome, and Warrior looked at each other with nervous glances. Warrior looked sternly at Mars, then Rome quickly explained, "You had one of your night terrors or whatever, so I let you sleep in my bed." He quickly changed topics. "Are you hungry or anything? Need a drink?"

"Can I have some pain medicine?" Valentino questioned. "My head is killing me..."

Normally, the brothers would've made a joke akin to "Your face is killing me more." Today, however, they were so much more...serious than usual. They seemed so nervous, like they had tread carefully or a bomb would go off. Rome got off the table and hurried over to the bathroom cabinet, searching for something to help Valentino's headache. Warrior went ahead and got a bottle of water and threw it to Valentino, who was hardly able to catch it in his state of mind.

_Why did his brothers never tell him what happened?_

"Tino."

Matt was shaking him now. Valentino looked up at him, his head hurting almost as much as it did in that memory he had. He held his head and sat up, Matt still hanging onto his shoulders. Matt had a concerned look on his face that made Valentino want to cry. He looked like an abused puppy.

"I'm worried about you," Matt said. "Is everything alright?"

"Alright?" Valentino echoed. "Of course."

"You kept mumbling stuff about it being all your fault." Matt was talking in a voice hardly more audible than a whisper, like he felt that if he spoke any louder he would break Valentino to pieces. He was still gripping Valentino's shoulders tightly, as if he felt that if he let go then Valentino would never come back to reality. Tears slowly slid out of Matt's eyes.

"What happened to you?" he inquired through a hiccuping sob.

"What...happened?" Valentino repeated. "What happened. What happened?"

What happened that night? That dark, rainy night, where the only light sources were the cars going by? When his brothers were out and he was home alone?

She had come back.

What was she doing?

She was hurting him. Hurting him, hurting him, hurting him.

What did he do?

_Well, what else could he do?_

He pushed her, he pushed her, he pushed her, he pushed her.

She was hit, she was hit, she was hit, she was hit.

It was all his fault, all his fault, all his fault, all his fault.

He killed her.

He killed her.

He killed her.

_He killed her._

"Valentino!"

Matt was sobbing now.

"Please, what's going on?!"

Valentino didn't know. He couldn't focus on the present anymore. His head hurt so much. Why was he standing? Where was he? What was going on?

Suddenly, Matt slapped him. "Speak to me, you bloody idiot!" He held onto Valentino's sweater and shook him in a frenzy.

"Matt!" Valentino cried out. The ginger stopped, tears trailing down his cheeks. Valentino stared up at him, tilting his head.

"What happened?" he asked.

"Oh, God, please don't do that again!" Matt shouted.

"No, please, what just happened?" Valentino repeated.

Matt sighed, letting go of Valentino. "You phased out again and you kept saying all this horrible stuff and I couldn't get you out of it! You just kept pacing around and wouldn't stop and you were scaring me and I just want this all to end!" He sucked in a stuttering breath and tried to calm down.

Valentino looked down at the ground, feeling guilty. "I-I'm sorry..."

"No, it's not..." Matt sighed. "I don't know what's up with you or this place or whatever. But surely, this all can't be one person's fault. We just need to get out of here and hopefully all this weird stuff will stop."

"That is a nice thought," Valentino murmured.

It was silent for a moment, the both of them unmoving. Matt's jacket billowed in the soft breeze. Then, Matt gently took Valentino's arm, moving it so that the underside was exposed. He rolled up Valentino's sleeve, tracing his finger over the scars there. Valentino flinched, but didn't stop him.

"Did you do all of this to yourself?" Matt questioned, quietly.

Valentino spoke in a voice just as quiet. "Not all of them. Just the ones that look it."

Matt stared at them, noticing how some were different than others. He got what Valentino meant now.

"Ugly, aren't they?" Valentino whispered.

Matt took Valentino's chin in his other hand, raising it up to make the brunet look at him. Valentino, surprised, stared up at him. His face flushed, and Matt smiled.

"They don't make you ugly," Matt told him.

"But..." Valentino sighed. "I made them because I was so weak. I just let it all happen."

"That isn't a sign of weakness, Tino," Matt argued. "Scars...are a sign of survival. They show what dangers you've gone through and lived through. Yes, they still hurt, and they show off the things that you can't let go. But they're a sign of healing, and if you can heal, that makes you stronger." 

Matt smiled at the end of it all, still holding Valentino's chin in his hand. Valentino took Matt's hand and let it fall back to his side. He also took his arm back from Matt and pulled his sleeve back down. He looked at the ground, troubled. The room flickered. Matt stood his ground, looking at Valentino with a concerned look on his face.

Valentino put his hand across his face, spreading it out so his fingers circled his eye. "What do you think happened?" Valentino inquired.

Matt was confused. "What do you mean?" he asked.

Valentino wasn't listening. The memories were grabbing him, pulling him into another world. The other reality he had to live in, the one he couldn't let go of. All the unanswered questions, all his mistakes, everything that had happened until now. The stories behind all those scars. Not just the physical ones, but the scars nobody could see.

"Mars! Rome! Warrior!"

The scars that haunted him to this day.

"Where are you?!"

The scars he could never tell anyone about.

"Please, just speak to me!"

The scars that broke him completely.

"I wanna go home!"

Brown bear, brown bear, what do you see?

I see someone hanging.

Right in front of me.

Dead. Hanging.

 

Hanging, hanging, hanging, hanging hanging hanging hanging hanging hanginghanginghanginghanginghanging

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***

"I told you, you look fine, Matt."

"But Edd-"

"Hey, the kid's waking up."

"Huh?"

Valentino groaned, his head pounding as voices drifted into his ears. His vision was blurry and his memory was fuzzy. He looked around, seeing three familiar figures standing by the corner of the room.

"Matt, put your mirror away, it's probably making him worse," one of them said, pushing the figure called Matt.

"Alright, alright," Matt said. He put his mirror back in his hoodie pocket, looking expectantly at Valentino. "Are you alright? You really scared me."

"What..." Valentino could still hardly make out the figures standing there. He tried to stand up, but the world spun around him and he fell back down. One of the figures was suddenly crouching next to him.

"Hey, Tino, don't stand up just yet, alright?" they said. "You might break your head open."

"Tom, be tactful," a voice scorned him. "He's probably delirious."

"I'm just saying..." Tom stood back up. Valentino's vision was clearing now, allowing him to actually see who was there. Tom was just in front of him, with Edd and Matt standing off to the side. Matt looked extremely worried.

"How...?" Valentino couldn't finish his sentence.

"Well, after my call with Matt went all weird, I tried to get to you guys as fast as I could," Edd explained. "I picked up Tom on the way, since he was in the instrument room. We found that broken hallway Matt was talking about, which still had a hole in it, so we had to go back the way we came and search there."

"You were completely passed out by the time we got here," Tom added. "Matt was full-on hyperventilating in the middle of the room here. The kid was scared to death about what was happening to you."

"Well, it happened three other times," Matt commented. "I was just really worried about how weird you were acting..."

Valentino nodded, still not quite understanding what was going on. "I think I just need to clear my head," he said, the words coming out of his mouth before he even thought about them.

"I think more rest would do you well," Edd replied.

Valentino shook his head. His mind was on vacation and his body was on autopilot. He did whatever action came to him first, not thinking about anything. He said what he couldn't even register. He stood up, his vision swimming, and replied, "I think I need to see Tord. Maybe I just feel guilty."

"Are you sure?" Matt inquired. "I don't think that's such a good idea..."

"Well, Tord said he didn't really know what to do," Edd interjected. "Maybe it is best for them to just talk it out."

"Don't you think we should go with him?" Matt said. "What if something happens?"

"I will be fine," Valentino responded, waving off their suggestions. He started towards the door.

"Wait!" 

Valentino stopped and Matt ran over to him. "Before you go..." Matt trailed off, then pulled Valentino in a hug. He held him tightly, nearly making Valentino unable to breathe. The brunet's arms were now clenched to his sides, rendering him unable to hug Matt back. It was like being hugged by a bear.

In this moment, Valentino felt undeniably loved. He relaxed into the hug, wishing desperately that he could hug Matt back. He also hoped that if anything happened, the excuse "I have a feather quill in my pocket" would suffice.

Matt leaned over, snuggling his face into Valentino's hair, and whispered, "Please be careful, Tino." He continued hugging him, if only for a few more moments, then finally let go. Valentino wished it could've lasted forever. But when it came to him, everything had to come to an end. Matt held onto Valentino's shoulders, gripping them tightly, and smiled down at him. Finally, he let go of him completely and waved him goodbye. Valentino waved to him back, as well as to Edd and Tom, and left the room.

_Here goes nothing._


	19. Reconciliation

Tord walked stiffly through the hallway with his hands clenched tightly. His arms swung by his sides. He stared at the ground as he walked, not caring where he was going. He didn't have any awareness of his surroundings, making it easy for someone to be able to sneak up on him. Luckily for him, nobody did. He stopped when he found a set of double doors, looking at them with uncertainty. Finally, he pushed them open and gasped.

A wide array of shelves met him, lined up like dominoes in the middle of the room. They all contained books and some decorations. Windows were lined up on the opposite wall. Tord looked to both his sides, seeing even more shelves lined up there. The room was about as big as five of the regular rooms they had seen. Tord stepped fully into the room, closing the door behind him.

"Why would there be a library in a hotel?" Tord muttered to himself. "I guess for the more nerdy types." He walked over to a bookshelf, grabbing the first book he saw. It had a white cover and pink letters, reading "Tea Time: A Wide Array of Tea Recipes." He flipped it open to a random page, finding pictures and recipes to making certain types of tea. He read the page he had flipped to.

"St. John's Wort Tea."

Next to the title, there was a drawing of a teacup with steaming hot tea. A little teabag labeled "St. John's Wort" with a picture of a yellow flower leaned next to it. Tord continued reading.

"St. John's Wort is said to relieve stress and anxiety and is best taken fresh from the plant. It blooms in late June to early July, so it is best to cut the flowers needed then. You can either take the blossoms and buds themselves, or an easier way is to cut a few inches off. Harvest from a clean place to stop risk of polluted or infected (by using pesticides) flowers. Soak 2-3 teaspoons of the flowers in hot water for 4 minutes, then strain the flowers out. Considering the lemony flavor, some may want to add honey to the tea for a sweeter taste."

Tord now noticed there was a little star next to this paragraph that, Tord could tell, was not originally part of the book. He skimmed through the rest of the recipes, noticing stars and even hearts next to certain tea recipes. He opened the book to the front cover, trying to find what all these meant. In nearly illegible but beautiful cursive handwriting, there was a key with a picture of a star and a heart. Next to the star, it said, "Remember recipes marked with this. They will help you." Next to the heart, it said, "These recipes are your favorites!"

Suddenly, Tord's phone rang, making him nearly drop the book. He settled down on the floor with the book in his lap and pulled his phone out. Upon seeing Edd's name on his screen, he grimaced. Was Edd going to give him another lecture? He answered it despite his fear.

"Tord?" Edd asked in a shaky voice.

"I'm here," Tord replied.

"Oh thank God you're alright." Tord heard Edd audibly sigh. "I was afraid you might've done something to yourself after that."

"I have the heart of a solider, Edd," Tord responded. "I'm not going down without a fight."

Edd laughed. "That's the Tord I know and love! Anyways, where are you?"

"I've found some sort of library," Tord said. "I'm reading this book on tea recipes. I think you might like it."

"Nice," Edd chuckled. "I'm still back in the room you guys all left. I've been trying to figure out what's with this whole place. I keep trying to find more information on Hotel Perlè, but I just can't. I even tried calling the police. Zippo."

"Great," Tord grumbled. "So we really are stuck here."

Edd just sighed and changed the topic. "I managed to get ahold of Tom earlier. Apparently he met up with Valentino and he's okay now. Except, while they were talking, Valentino kept phasing out and mumbling things and it was weird. He said he just needed to clear his head, left the room, and Tom hasn't seen him since. I hope he's alright."

Tord was silent for a few moments. "I don't know what to think of that kid anymore. Sometimes he's a pain in the ass, other times he's a whiny brat, and suddenly he's acting all okay to Tom. I don't know if he's playing favorites or what."

"I'm sure he's trying his hardest," Edd assured him.

"To do what? Kill us all? Get into Matt's pants?"

Edd yelled, "No! To be friends with us! He has good intentions, Tord, I know it."

"I still don't trust him," Tord muttered.

"Not trusting someone doesn't give you the right to reveal what was probably their biggest secret and ruin their life."

Tord was stunned into silence.

"Goodbye, Tord. Good luck." Before Tord could even form a reply, Edd had already hung up. Tord sighed and put his phone back in his pocket. He looked back at the book in his lap and shut it angrily, putting it back on the shelf. He noticed this shelf was entirely about cooking, with recipes of food (such as "Your Mother's Cookbook" or "Alimentos Españoles Tradicionales"), drinks (such as the tea book Tord had just put back), and a few arts and crafts meant to look like food but were not edible. He noticed a few of these arts and crafts mentioned in the books sitting on the shelves. Some were done very well, others not so much. However, despite how awful some of them were, they still sat proudly on the shelf. Tord thought this might be a metaphor for something, but didn't waste his time thinking about and instead turned to the shelf behind him.

Looking through all these shelves was gonna take a while.

Tord picked a random book from this shelf, noticing it was by Charles Dickens. In fact, all of the books on this shelf were by Charles Dickens. The shelf below had Edgar Allen Poe, below that was Shakespeare, and so on. Seems it was old books and plays. Tord flipped to a random page in this book and was bewildered to find that same cursive writing from before, next to a certain passage.

"Dickens really has a knack for making his characters both extremely homosexual but also extremely heterosexual."

Tord had no idea what the hell this meant, so he flipped to another page and read the annotations there.

"Stop pining after Estella! She is not meant for you! Herbert is your one true soulmate!"

Tord decided to stop there. He was being reminded of the crazy fangirls who desperately wanted him and Tom to be together. He shut the book and put it back on the shelf, moving onto the next shelf. This had biographies and autobiographies. The next was full of history books, the next science books, it seemed to all go on for miles.

And then Tord found a bookshelf that interested him. This one was full of books on the paranormal, cryptids, aliens, basically any strange creature that people were still debating were real or not. Tord noticed there were quite a few more books on ghosts and poltergeists than any other creature mentioned. However, he found one book that stuck out to him more than the rest.

"Your Everyday Mirror's Powers."

Finally, some god damn information that actually mattered.

Tord immediately pulled it off the shelf and opened it up to the table of contents. It showed many sections that were several pages long. He decided to flip ahead to the part on making and revealing illusions.

"A mirror can create several different illusions, as well reveal illusions, just by touching the mirror and pointing it at certain locations."

Tord sat down against the shelf to get more comfortable as he read. It told him most of what he knew, but he found much more information that he was never told.

"Invisibility

To make something invisible, simply touch the mirror's surface. It will bubble up, creating very radioactive-looking green bubbles. Then point it at whatever you wish to make invisible. To reverse invisibility, do the same as above, except pointing it at the object you wish to make visible again. While invisibility does not require as much concentration and power, it is easy to find and get rid of and therefore unreliable.

Forcefields

Sometimes invisibility isn't enough. If the person in question who wishes to make something invisible is feeling nervous, scared, or wants something stronger than invisibility, they can create a forcefield. The bubbles will be the color of their aura. Forcefields are stronger than invisibility because they not only last longer, but cannot be destroyed without using the mirror again. To reverse forcefields, simply touch the mirror's surface and point it at the forcefield."

Tord nodded to himself and flipped to a random page to continue reading.

"Say there is an event happening around you, however you cannot see it. Point the mirror in the direction of where you hear the event, and you can watch it straight from the mirror in real time. That way, you can get to where the event is happening easier and figure out if something bad is going on."

Tord's eyes widened. Mirrors could do that? He had to get a mirror for himself sometime. He closed his eyes and flipped through pages in the book, finally stopping on a random one and opening his eyes to read it.

"Mirrors are especially effective on illusions made by ghosts."

Tord grinned. He finally found what he was looking for.

"Mirrors can easily reveal many illusions made by ghosts and other spirits. They can reveal a ghost's true identity if they have changed their appearance, reverse illusions made on objects, and even take away curses. They are very powerful in the way of the paranormal."

Tord heard a door opening and jumped. He turned, looking out from the side of the bookshelf to see two figures run behind another bookshelf.

"Mattie!" a feminine voice shouted. "Don't pull me like that! It hurt."

"I'm sorry, Lonnie," a masculine voice replied. "I was just...scared."

_Wait_ , Tord thought. _Why does the female voice have the male name and the masc- Oh. They're..._

"I'm scared of them, too," the voice Tord knew as Lonnie responded. "I don't want to die here, Mattie."

"We're not going to die here, Lon," Mattie assured. "We'll get out of here. We've only been here for a few hours, after all. I'm sure there's some way out."

"Are you sure, Mattie?" Lonnie sounded worried. "What if they try and hurt us for being...? And because of your...?"

"Hush, Lon. I'll protect you from those jerkasses."

Lonnie laughed. "I love your weird insults. There really should be more girls like you, here to protect the boys instead of act as the damsel in distress."

"Exactly!" The couple laughed. Tord got up to quietly put the book on mirrors back, but ended up dropping it when trying to replace it. The sound echoed throughout the quiet library, alerting the couple at the back.

"Mattie..." Lonnie whispered.

"I'll investigate," Mattie replied. However, when she arrived at Tord's aisle, she had Lonnie there as well, holding her hand. He looked nervous, but then surprised upon seeing Tord. Tord stood there with his hand still on the book he was pushing back into the shelf.

"Well, it's nice to see other people are in the same situation as us," Mattie finally laughed. She held her hand up in a greeting. "Hey there. I guess you already overheard our names."

"Uh, yeah," Tord replied. He turned to them. "I'm Tord."

"Nice to meet you!" Mattie exclaimed. She elbowed her partner. "Come on, Lonnie, introduce yourself."

"You're sure they're not another one of those freaky creatures out to get us?" Lonnie asked in a soft voice. He tugged at the collar of his undershirt.

"I'm sure." Mattie rubbed circles onto Lonnie's palm reassuringly. "They don't seem like the type to hurt anyone."

Tord snorted. "You'd be surprised," he muttered. Luckily, they didn't hear him.

"Well, then, I'm Lonnie." He removed his hand from his hoodie pocket and held it out to Tord, who shook it. Immediately afterwards, he placed it back in his hoodie pocket and looked away almost bashfully. Mattie snickered.

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Tordy!" Mattie said. Her eyes glittered as she said it. Tord hadn't noticed before, but she had beautiful blue eyes that stood out against her dark skin. Her dress only accentuated the color. Lonnie, on the other hand, had pale skin and a freckled face. He wore khaki shorts and a white undershirt topped by a light green hoodie. He had his hood over his head, but Tord could see that he had orange hair, most likely dyed, and striking yellow-green eyes.

"Yeah, nice to meet you two as well," Tord replied. "It's nice to know my friends and I aren't completely alone here."

Mattie nodded. "Well, we really should get going. I wanna try and find a way out of here." Lonnie agreed, and with a wave goodbye, the couple left. Tord turned back to his shelf on the paranormal and picked up a book about ghosts. He flipped through it.

"The Presence of a Ghost

How do you determine whether a ghost is near you? The room you are in will feel colder and you may feel as if someone is watching you. Sometimes you can hear talking, but nobody is there. Objects may float or suddenly fall over. If you have a camera, recorder, mirror, or anything of the sort, you can easily determine whether a ghost is there by just taking pictures, recording, or looking for illusions in the mirror."

Tord suddenly felt a chill run up his spine and he looked around. Nothing was there but the curtains billowing in the wind. Sunlight still streamed from the window, showing dust floating around him. He scoffed and turned back to his book, flipping to a random page.

"Possession

Possession is a terrifying thing ghosts can accomplish. An even scarier thing - if the ghost has been dead long enough and possesses someone for long enough, they can kill the person. Possessed people are easy to spot - they have unnatural behavior and act not like themselves, have glazed-over eyes, and will avoid mirrors at any cost. Mirrors reveal the person possessing them and if the mirror is broken in the right spot, the possession can be stopped. Ghosts can also possess other ghosts, which is not quite as disastrous as human possession since ghosts are stronger and can fight it off easier."

Tord humphed to himself and turned to a random page.

"Powers

Ghosts have several powers. They can create illusions, such as invisibility or disguises, have telekinesis and sometimes telepathy, and many other powers. They are among the most powerful creatures of our time. Below this is a detailed list on every power they have."

Tord whistled as he skimmed through the list. They really were powerful. He was going to have to be careful not to cross a ghost here. He turned to the next page and had to do a double-take.

"True Form

Ghosts are most often in their human form, so that they look exactly like a normal human. However, you can also find them in their ghost form, or their true form. They will be white and transparent, as well as able to go completely through objects. If touched or experiencing strong emotions, their veins and organs will glow in the color of their aura - although these will not show through clothes. They can only be seen in this form when they are not in direct sunlight, as sunlight conceals the form and makes them invisible. If they use enough power, they make an in-between form - looks like a ghost and has the powers of a ghost, but is not able to be passed through nor pass through other objects. This can be helpful in certain circumstances."

Tord wondered just what these circumstances might be. He shrugged to himself and put the book up. He was going to have to read it again later. He went to the last bookshelf, which was against the wall. All the books had nearly identical leather-bound covers with yellowed pages. Tord picked one up and opened it up to a page somewhere in the middle. He let out a gasp upon reading the passage inside.

"March 22nd, 2002

Dear Diary,

It is my brother's birthday today. He seems unfazed by the fact that we are spending it in such a dreadful place. My other brothers have been celebrating with him all day. They keep greeting people on the street, showing them this place, persuading them to come inside...is that how they will spend every birthday?

If so, I hope my birthday never comes along.

By the way, my dear diary, I hope you do not mind my not mentioning the name of this awful setting, as well as the names of my brothers. The names make me cry. I cannot ruin the ink.

Yours,

V. V. R. R."

It was a diary? How could a diary get in here?

More importantly, who was V. V. R. R.?

Tord only knew one person with a name starting with V, and just like the author of this diary, he had brothers. But it couldn't be him, could it?

Tord put the diary back and pulled out another one, turning to a random page and reading the passage there. Suddenly, a slip of paper fell out from the diary and started gently falling to his feet. He reached down to pick it up. However, before he could grab it, it was snatched out of the air by some invisible force.

"Don't touch that!" the creature shouted at him.

Tord blinked, dumbfounded. He suddenly noticed the room had gotten much colder, and that his shivering wasn't just from fear. The situation fell on him like a brick and he threw the diary at the floating piece of paper. The diary hit the bookshelf. The invisible thing picked it back up, putting the piece of paper somewhere inside it and holding the diary close to what Tord assumed to be its chest.

"I knew you would betray me!" the creature screamed. The book began swinging violently around, trying to hit Tord. Tord screeched and ran behind a bookshelf, grabbing a large book of his own. When the flying book came for him, he smacked it out of the air with his own book. The diary didn't move after that. Tord put the book he was holding back in its bookshelf and picked up the diary, moving towards the bookshelf of diaries. However, he then noticed a face peeking at him from behind the bookshelf he had just been to. It disappeared behind it again.

"Uh, hello?" Tord asked.

The face peeked back out again, then let out a gasp and went back behind it. Tord noticed the face was familiar and smirked to himself.

"Valentino, I know that's you," Tord laughed. "Come on out."

"How do I know you w-won't hurt me?" Valentino inquired, his voice shaky.

Tord's eyelids drooped. "I'm not going to do shit like that again."

Valentino peeked his face back out from behind the bookshelf, looking guilty. He slowly walked all the way from behind it, appearing in front of Tord. He looked everywhere but at him, his hand still lingering on the side of the bookshelf as if it would save him from this situation. However, he wouldn't come closer than that.

"Come over here," Tord said. He held up the book in the air. "I've got your diary, you know."

Valentino's eyes widened and he lunged for the diary. Tord let him grab it, however the teen still faceplanted onto the floor. Tord snorted, amused by how pathetic he was.

"Nice ass," Tord remarked. Although he couldn't see his face, Tord could tell Valentino's face went red. The brunet scrambled up off the ground, turning to Tord with the diary clutched tightly to his chest. Tord could tell he was shaking slightly.

"U-Um," Valentino stammered. "Please do not read these." He shuffled over to the bookshelf and placed the diary back in its spot. He turned back to Tord after that and muttered an apology.

"What are you sorry for?" Tord asked.

Valentino looked at the ground, wrapping his arms around himself. "For being such a bother to you," he mumbled.

Tord sighed. "No, I should be the one apologizing. I did awful things to you."

"But I did awful things to you back..." Valentino's voice was choked, as if he might cry.

"Then let's both apologize and both forgive each other," Tord said. He held out his hand. "I'm sorry."

Valentino hesitantly took Tord's hand. "I forgive you, and I am sorry too."

"I forgive you as well." Tord shook their hands in agreement and put it back in his hoodie pocket. Valentino stood there with his arms to his sides, not knowing what to do.

"I just have...one question," Valentino said.

"Ask away," Tord replied.

Valentino looked up at him with sad eyes. "Why were you so rude to me despite feeling guilty about it?"

Tord sighed. "I didn't really trust you, and I guess I still don't trust you. But I'm gonna try and stop being so awful. Though, you know what they say."

"What do they say?" Valentino tilted his head.

Tord looked uncomfortable now. "Uh...if you keep your...dick in the ass too long...it's gonna get...stuck?"

Valentino snorted. "Your humor amazes me."

"I have no filter," Tord replied, making Valentino chuckle. He didn't see what was so funny about it, though. The red-hooded man sat down with his back against the bookshelf of diaries. Valentino sat next to him, looking happy. Suddenly, his face went worried and he clutched his stomach, looking down at the ground. 

"I need something to eat..." Valentino mumbled.

Tord coughed. "Like Matt's dick?" he replied, trying to hide it under the cough.

Valentino's head shot up, his face beet red. "Well, I suppose I cannot deny that...but I meant real food."

Tord held up his hand, replying with, "Solution: eat a donut off of Matt's dick."

Valentino let out a sound similar to the word "meep" and stared at Tord with both anger and amusement on his face. His cheeks were nearly glowing red with blush by now. Tord laughed, and that got Valentino to finally laugh too.

"Y'know, that reminds me, how come we haven't felt hungry or anything at all since we've been here?" Tord asked.

"The deaths here reset your system," Valentino explained. "They are meant to always keep you healthy, so you have enough energy to actually function. If you started dying of starvation here, the ghosts would not have any fun toying around with you. By the way, starvation or thirst or anything of that sort does count as a real death here, so the illusion deaths will happen long before those can happen."

"So how are you hungry?" Tord inquired. "We just got reset."

"I really love food," Valentino responded, laughing.

"Yeah, I can tell," Tord said, gesturing to Valentino's stomach. The brunet blushed and pulled his sweater down, as if that would hide his chubbiness. Tord laughed and added, "Don't worry. At least you're not as bad as Edd." It was meant to make Valentino laugh, however he just looked more upset at that. Tord patted the teen's shoulder, then leaned back into the bookshelf, relaxing. Valentino balled his hands into fists and then relaxed them again, all the while holding his sweater in his hands. He curled the fabric around his hands and kept toying with it.

"So," Tord broke the silence, "how are you and Matt getting along?" Tord raised his eyebrows up and down suggestively, but then became concerned when Valentino didn't answer. "Hey, kid, you alright?"

Valentino was looking at the ground, but Tord could tell his face was red. He seemed to be breathing a little harder and kept toying with the bottom of his sweater.

"Dime, Tord," Valentino began. "¿Es bueno en la cama? ¿Tiene una polla gran? ¿Él me follará? ¿Es él dominante?" Valentino held his face in his hands, shivering. His voice started sounding more desperate now. "¿Por qué no entendía que quería dentro de mí? Quiero que me del perno a la cama con esas manos grandes y fuertes de su..." Valentino let out a short laugh. "Puede ser tan bruto como él quiere conmigo...~"

Tord had no idea what the hell Valentino was saying, so he couldn't possibly answer any of Valentino's questions. However, he could tell they were most likely all about Matt, considering Valentino's blushing face and harder breathing. He raised one of his eyebrows in amusement.

"Slow down there, kid," Tord replied. "You're acting like a dog in heat. If you let your fantasies get the better of you, you might start humping someone..."

Valentino gulped and mumbled something unintelligible.

"What?" Tord asked.

Valentino looked up in surprise. "Ah..n-nothing!" he stammered.

"That sounded an awful lot like-" Tord tried to say, but was interrupted.

"Do not address it!" Valentino shouted. He turned his gaze away and tugged at the collar of his sweater. "Is it hotter in here...?"

Tord scoffed. "It's hotter to you because of your fantasies, idiot." He stood up. "Come on, let's go regroup with the others."

Valentino looked down at the ground in embarrassment.

"I-I do not think I can stand up..."

Tord looked at the brunet in bewilderment and suddenly realized what he meant.

"You dirty motherfucker!"


	20. Taking Risks

"God damn it!"

A doll's fist slammed against the floor. The girl screamed and thrashed around. Her legs kicked the floor and her arms slammed into it with equal anger, making imprints there as she had done so many times before. She held her face in her hands and screamed. She scrambled up and grabbed the voodoo doll of that man she hated so much from a low shelf, grabbing the box of pins as she did so. She hastily grabbed a handful of pins, dropping the entire box on the floor, and slammed them into the crotch of the doll. She then threw it onto a chest, accidentally knocking over one of the dolls there.

"Fuck!" she shouted. "I'm so sorry!" She gingerly picked it back up and set it gently back on the chest, patting its head to make it feel better. She turned back to the voodoo doll and threw it on the floor, stepping on it multiple times to make the pins go deeper into it. She growled and turned to another shelf, however this one was too high for her to reach.

"Mary, would you mind getting that mannequin head for me?" she asked a tall doll in the corner. "I'm angry and I want to admire my Matt!"

"Krittle, you do realize us ghosts can float?" another doll by the name of Victoria asked.

"I'm bad at floating!" Krittle yelled. "Plus, I'm wearing a dress! Are you some kind of pervert?!"

"It's not like you have anything under there," a marionette hanging above them snickered.

"You shut your god damn mouth!" Krittle screamed at it. "You're up there hanging your splintered dick above us all the time!"

"Krittle, please calm down." Victoria tried to hold the half-doll's arm reassuringly, but the girl wrenched her arm away from her.

"I can't calm down!" Krittle cried. "That gross-ass son of a bitch who ruined all our lives has made friends with not only the new humans, but also my man! He's stealing my man from me! I want to cut that faggot's dick off so my Matty will never like him! I want them to hate him! I want them to kill him fifty times over! I want him tortured and destroyed! I want them to be just like his damn mother and brothers and beat him senseless!" She stared at Victoria with a crazed look in her eyes. "Where is that goddamn bear now?" She turned away and covered her human eye, looking only through her doll eye. She saw through her stuffed bear's eye, seeing the halls of the hotel. She knew he was close to the room and nodded to herself.

"I can't believe they trust him," she muttered to herself. "We trusted him and look where we are now. He promised to get us out of here, too. Now we're all dead, and I want him dead too! I want him to wander the halls of this damn place forever, crying in agony, and never be happy again!"

"Why don't we just make a plan together to get them to hate him?" Victoria suggested.

Krittle turned to her and stomped her feet, screaming, "Futile, futile, futile! They'll never believe us!" Suddenly she stopped. "Unless..." She grinned menacingly.

"That just might work..."

*

January 15th, 2015

Dear Diary,

There are four newcomers. Their names are Edd, Tom, Matt, and Tord. They seem very nice and I only hope they live. I really want to help them. I want to promise them that I will get them out of here. I do not care if I never leave this godforsaken place. I just want at least one person to make it out of here and live again. Though, considering the torture of this place, maybe it is best if they do die...

I am afraid I have already fallen in love with one of them as well. Considering how similar he looks to _him_...this will not end well.

Yours,

V. V. R. R.

*

Edd, Tom, and Matt walked through the hallways, having just exited the room they had been in before. After Valentino had left, they stood around looking at each other, unsure of what to do. They decided to just start traveling the hallways and chat, hoping that the others would meet up with them soon.

"So," Edd was saying, "learn anything interesting about Valentino?"

"Oh man, I learned some juicy stuff," Tom replied. "Mostly we just talked about boring stuff, but apparently he's colorblind."

"Really?" Edd seemed shocked.

"Yeah, he mentioned that to me, too," Matt added. "He said someone named Annabeth helped him with his colorblindness."

"Annabeth?" Edd echoed, curious.

"Wait, I haven't even gotten to the best part." Tom sounded giddy. "Valentino actually drinks!"

Edd and Matt stared at him, eyes wide and mouths agape.

"Y-You're kidding," Matt stuttered.

Tom shook his head, laughing. "Nope! I got it straight from the horse's mouth! He drinks wine and all these other kinds that I can't pronounce. And even better: he drank illegally at least once!" Tom held his head and laughed.

"Wait, so he's not this timid little teen he's been showcasing himself as all this time?" Edd asked.

"I don't know." Tom shrugged and shook his head. "It seems like he has a lot more to him than just what we've seen. I doubt he's a party animal or something, but I also doubt he's completely innocent."

"Does that mean...?" Matt didn't finish his sentence, but Tom knew what he was talking about.

"Nope," Tom answered. "Poor kid hasn't even gone on a date or gotten his first kiss yet."

Edd nodded. "Anything else important he told you?"

Tom shook his head. "Not really. We just talked about his favorite foods and such. Though, he did mention that he's half Latino."

Edd giggled. "That just gave me the perfect pun idea."

"Oh god, please don't say it," Matt begged.

"Don't worry," Edd assured him. "I won't tell it until Valentino gets here."

Tom and Matt groaned and Edd just laughed again. He then turned to Matt. "By the way, who's this Annabeth person you were talking about?"

"Oh, Valentino said she was his best friend," Matt explained. "Though, with the way he talked about her, I can't help but feel like they were a little closer than that. Do you think he's lying?"

"Well, I wouldn't doubt it," Tom said. "It seems like he lies about his personal life often. Did he talk about his family at all to you, Matt?"

Matt nodded. "He said his brothers were actually nice to him at one point and cared about him. They all supported him and they all pretty much had roles in the family. He said that he was like the "girl" of the brothers, and that his mother didn't really like that, so..." Matt trailed off.

"I guess that sort of fits with what he told me," Tom said. "He didn't go too much into detail, but he said the rest of his family hates him. I guess he was just talking about them at the current time."

Edd sighed. "Any other interesting stuff happen?"

"Not much other than the phasing out," Tom replied. "It was really weird how that kept happening. He just...stopped talking and stared off into space. His eyes went all blank, like he was dead, and he didn't respond. In one of the later incidents, he kept mumbling something. I think it was the number thirteen? I could hardly make it out."

Matt nodded. "He kept saying that something was all his fault. I don't know what he was referring to, though."

"I don't know why, but..." Edd sighed. "I feel like we need to know more about him. I want to know if we can trust him or not. I feel like he knows more than he lets on."

Tom made a noise of agreement. "I want to know more about him, too. I want to figure out what's going on here. I feel like he knows the answer to all that."

"I'm just curious as to what makes him so...upset," Matt began. "I want to help him so he can stop phasing out and...y'know..." Matt tried to stop there, but upon seeing the others' confused faces, finished, "...cutting himself." The other two nodded in sympathy.

"So there _is_ food here?" a familiar voice asked. Edd, Tom, and Matt stopped in their tracks, turning around. Two figures came into view.

"Of course there is," a different but also familiar voice answered. "Though I do not remember exactly where it is, I know it is here."

Those three could recognize one voice's heavy Norwegian accent and the other voice's weird way of speaking from anywhere. It was Tord and Valentino, walking down the hallway and chatting happily. Tord had his arm across the teen's shoulders, as if they had been old friends.

"Does that mean there's beds and water and shit like that?" Tord asked.

"Anything you can find in a regular hotel, you can find here," Valentino replied. He leaned in and whispered as if he were saying something that couldn't be known to anyone else, "There is also a brewery in the basement. Do not ask how I know that." He pulled away and giggled.

"Brewery?" Tom echoed. "Hell yeah!"

Valentino and Tord looked up, shocked. They smiled upon seeing the three in front of them, Valentino looking extremely overjoyed to see them - or maybe that was just because Matt was present. He ran over to the trio, bouncing up and down when he reached them. Tord walked up behind him calmly, laughing at his reaction.

"Well, never thought I'd see you two walking up to us like old buddies," Edd remarked.

"I'm so glad you're okay!" Matt exclaimed.

"Can we go find the brewery now?" Tom called. He was already at the end of the hallway, looking excited. Valentino laughed.

"Alright, I suppose we can be on our way," he replied. He started walking over to Tom, the other three following suit. Edd turned to Valentino then.

"Hey, Valentino," he began. "Since you're Latino, shouldn't your name be...Val-Latino?"

Tom, Matt, and Tord groaned in unison as Edd grinned. Valentino laughed, snorting in the process.

"Hey, we got Valentino to laugh!" Tom shouted. He held up his flask. "Cheers for the happiness!"

All of them laughed together. Edd used his lucky Cola can to cheers with Tom. They continued walking down the hall, finding an abnormal hallway with only a left turn at the end of it, as well as an opening in the middle that was only about two feet deep but the size of a human.

If only they knew happiness didn't last forever.

Valentino suddenly gasped and turned around, looking behind himself. The group stopped, turning to him.

"What's the matter?" Matt asked.

"I...thought I heard something," Valentino replied, sounding scared.

"It's probably nothing." Tord shrugged it off.

"It may just be another one of those auditory hallucinations, like I had," Matt said.

Valentino sighed and responded with a hesitant, "Alright." He turned back to the group and continued walking with them. However, he soon heard another sound and turned around again, stopping. He stepped backwards, almost falling into Tom, upon seeing three figures heading towards them. He choked back a cry and turned to the group. His eyes were wide and his movements were frantic, all out of fear.

"Th-That is definitely not nothing," he whispered. "That is my brothers." He looked behind him again and whimpered. He turned back to the group and ushered them down the hallway. "Hide behind this corner here, please. Do not move a muscle until I tell you it is safe." He ran back down the hallway and hid in the opening in the middle, pushing himself against it as if it would save his life. Laughing traveled down the hallway.

"Where do you think those British assholes went off to?" Rome inquired.

"I bet they're close by," Warrior answered. "I think I heard whiny little Val earlier. If we hear him, they're bound to be close."

Valentino dug his fingernails into the wood and gritted his teeth. Meanwhile, Edd and the rest of them were huddled up against the wall of the intersection, hoping they wouldn't be seen. Matt was at the corner, with Tom next to him. Tord was after Tom and Edd was stationed last.

"I think we can find them around this spot," Mars said, sending a chill up Valentino's spine. "In fact, one of them is hiding right..."

A hand latched onto Valentino's shoulder.

"Here!" 

The hand pulled Valentino out of his hiding spot, making him yelp. The brothers laughed.

"Well, look who it is!" Mars exclaimed, feigning surprise. "I never would've thought I'd find the whiny little brat here!" He, Rome, and Warrior laughed again.

"Let me go!" Valentino demanded, struggling in Mars's grasp.

Matt, still huddled against the wall, whispered to the others, "What's happening? I want to make sure Valentino's okay."

"Give me your mirror," Tord commanded in a quiet voice. Matt obliged. Tord pointed the mirror at the wall in the direction of the brothers' voices. He then handed the mirror back to Matt. "Mirror powers," he explained. "You can see events happening around you."

All four of them looked into the mirror, seeing Valentino pulling Mars's hand off his shoulder. He seethed and held his shoulder gingerly.

"Pathetic weakling," Rome remarked. "That's all you are."

Valentino didn't say anything. He just glared at them.

"What?" Rome raised an eyebrow and snorted. "You're not gonna stand up for yourself?"

"I-If I try," Valentino stammered, still holding his shoulder, "I will not win."

"Aww, that's no way to think," Mars said in a sweet voice, as if he actually cared. "I'd love to hear your pathetic attempts to try and call yourself a better person than you really are." He flicked Valentino's nose and laughed.

"Yeah, just try and make yourself out to be the great person you think you are," Warrior jeered. "Every reason you have is a lie."

Valentino growled. "I am not a great person. I am not a good person at all. I already know that. You do not have to remind me so much."

"Oh, but don't you know, a great person constantly has to be reminded that they're great!" Mars exclaimed. "Therefore, an awful person must constantly be reminded that they're awful."

"My mind does that enough for me," Valentino responded.

Mars's smile wavered. "It's nice seeing you cry, though."

"I cry enough alone without you there to see me," Valentino shot back.

Mars continued smiling for a few moments, then suddenly burst into anger. "Don't argue against me, you fucking maggot! You're a pathetic fucking traitor, you hear me?! You've done nothing good for anyone on this whole god damned planet! You ruin everything!"

"I saved your life once," Valentino muttered. "Is that not a good thing?"

Mars seethed, thinking over his reply. Finally, he yelled, "I had to save your life first!"

Valentino grinned. "I did not have to return the favor."

Mars screamed and turned away from him, holding his head in exasperation. He muttered strings of curses towards Valentino to himself. He didn't move from that spot. Instead, Rome turned to Valentino.

"Do you even realize what's been going on?" Rome inquired. Valentino opened his mouth to reply, but Rome continued, "That was a rhetorical question. Of course you don't know what's going on. You've been too busy going off and fucking your little British husbands for a living."

Matt, Tom, Tord, and Edd all had very different reactions to that. Tord held back a snicker, Tom raised an eyebrow in confusion, Edd scoffed, and Matt gasped.

"Not to mention," Warrior butted in, "one of them broke your own brother's nose."

"Exactly," Rome agreed. "Your flamboyant little redhead heroine broke Mars's nose with his damn magic mirror. Aren't you upset that he hurt your own brother?"

Matt covered his mouth to keep himself from gasping again. The other three looked at him, concerned. He shook his head, looking scared.

Valentino broke then. "He may be a little feminine, but that does not make him bad! As for him hurting Mars, I think he had a valid reason! I bet he was scared for his life, just like I always fucking am with you three! In fact, I regret ever saving Mars's damn life in the first place!"

"Stop talking!" Mars shouted. He turned and quickly grabbed Valentino's head, slamming his face into the wall. Matt and the others shared a collective gasp. Matt still had his mouth covered, but couldn't hold back his sob. Tears started streaming down his cheeks. The others stared into the mirror, scared to see what would happen now.

When Valentino removed his face from the wall, it was a mess. His nose was bleeding, a splinter stuck out from his cheek, and a bruise was becoming present above his eyebrow. His eye looked swollen already and tears were already falling from it.

Matt covered his eyes and shoved his mirror into Tom's hands. "I-I can't look anymore," he whispered, shaking. Edd nodded in agreement, turning away as well. Tom sighed and continued looking at the scene, concerned for Valentino. Tord was scared for him as well.

"Why are you d-doing this to me?" Valentino choked out. "I am...I am y-your brother!"

"I don't have any brothers other than the two behind me," Mars answered. "The last one is dead to me."

Valentino stared up at him, defiant. He balled his hands into fists. "You're right. I am not your brother. My brothers died a long time ago, when they first hurt me so." His voice suddenly cracked, and he started stumbling over his words. "So I don't care wh-what you do to me, as long as you d-don't hurt them."

"So you'd die for them?" Warrior asked in a cold voice.

"Happily," Valentino spat.

Warrior pushed Mars aside and grasped Valentino's neck tightly, making him let out a choked gasp. Valentino grabbed Warrior's arms, trying to pull them away from him.

"You're gonna struggle now?" Warrior questioned, voice sending chills up everyone's spines. "I thought you'd do anything for them, even die for them."

Valentino let his arms fall limp to his sides. However, he kept his expression angry, despite the tears falling from his eyes.

"Happy?" Warrior questioned, grinning.

"Ecstatic," Valentino responded. Warrior pushed his thumbs into Valentino's throat, blocking off his airway completely. Valentino let out a choking sound, trying to breathe. He grabbed Warrior's arms again, trying to twist them away from his neck. He struggled, not able to fight against him.

Tom and Tord looked at each other and at the mirror over and over again, unsure of what to do. Edd glanced at the mirror and looked away again, covering his face. Matt sobbed into his hands, only able to hear what was going on.

"Aren't you going to call for your little friends?" Warrior inquired. Valentino tried to reply, but only let out more choking gasps. He looked afraid now. His eyes were slowly growing dimmer and his grasp was becoming looser. Patterns started appearing on the walls, alerting Mars and Rome. They stared at them, trying to figure out what was going on.

This also alerted the mirror. It suddenly changed the scene into the patterns on the walls, not going back to what was going on. Tord tried pointing it towards the scene again, but it only seemed to focus on the patterns. Matt had opened his eyes now and was looking around frantically at the walls. He kept hearing Valentino's attempts to cry out behind him and stared at Tom, tears still going down his cheeks.

"We have to save him!" he suddenly screamed, grabbing the mirror from Tom and Tord. The hallway went silent, save for the sound of a body falling to the floor. The patterns disappeared, as well, and the mirror went blank.

"That was them," Rome growled.

"More specifically," Warrior added, "it was that gay-ass redhead."

"Well, who wants to join me in breaking their noses like they did to me?" Mars inquired in an ironically happy voice.

Matt was about to run out there and scream at them, but Valentino beat him to the chase, albeit still lying on the ground.

"I'm n-not letting you hurt them," Valentino coughed. His brothers stared him down.

"Look at you, pathetic little thing," Rome commented, grinning. He kicked his collapsed figure, making him grunt. "You can't even get up."

"I don't care," Valentino shot back. "You're not allowed to h-hurt them. You can do a-anything you want to me, as long as you don't lay a f-fucking finger on them."

"Aw, look at you, trying to be a little badass and stand up for your husbands," Mars cooed. "What, you really think you can handle taking the punch for them?"

"Like I said, I-I'll do anything." Valentino's voice wavered. "You can do e-every damn thing that you've done to me so far a hundred times more, a-and I'll take it, if it means they'll still be o-okay. I w-want them to make it out of here a-alive."

His brothers laughed. "Alright, since you want it so badly..." Mars trailed off. He pulled Valentino up to his feet, noticing how unsteady he was. "Just don't complain."

"Mars..." Rome warned. 

"What?" Mars turned to Rome, still holding onto Valentino's arm.

"You're starting to sound...y'know...a little like a fucking rapist!" Rome yelled. "Do you want Little Brat here to get triggered or something?"

"Jesus Christ, I'm not gonna do _that_ to him," Mars replied, letting go of Valentino. "First, that's incest. Second, that's rape."

"You touched my dick earlier!" Rome shouted.

"Did not!" Mars retorted.

"Did too! I know you did because-"

"Oh my _god_ you two, just shut the fuck up!" Warrior screamed at the both of them. "Are we really gonna let those four go just to torture this little brat?"

Mars leaned in and talked quietly, so only the three of them could hear. "Someone else is taking care of them, remember? That way, we can hurt them all without having to do shit." They all grinned, looking at each other. Suddenly, they noticed Valentino had collapsed back onto the ground, since Mars had let go of his arm a while ago.

Warrior snorted. "I'm surprised he hasn't run off to _them_ yet."

"He can't get up without help now, idiot," Rome reminded him.

"He won't be able to get up at all when we're done with him," Mars added. The brothers snickered and took Valentino away. Matt ran out into the hallway, tempted to chase after them, but stood there instead. Tom laid a comforting hand on his shoulder, but he brushed it off.

"Why did he risk himself for us?" Matt asked, almost to himself. "Why does he care so much?"

"I can't believe you three are just gonna stand around and let him get tortured," Edd spoke up. "We need to go help him."

"That guarantees us getting killed, as well as Valentino getting killed," Tord replied. "Would you prefer everyone dying? Because you're welcome to go ahead and get yourself killed."

Edd didn't reply. He just glared at Tord. The red-hooded man scoffed and turned away.

Suddenly, they all couldn't move. They were being held by strong hands, their arms pressed to their sides so they couldn't move. They struggled in the grasp, trying to get out.

"What the hell-?!" Tom cried out.

Laughter erupted from behind them. A little girl, half human and half doll, walked to the front of the group and turned to them. She was smiling devilishly, her eyes glinting.

"Hello there, you four," she began. "It's nice to finally meet you. My name...is Krittle."

"Krittle?" Tord snorted. "Does that mean you're a Skittle? Or you scuttle, like a krab?"

Krittle growled. "It's my damn name. I don't remember my real one, thanks to Valentino. Or should I say, Mister Whiny Shithead Faggot Mexican Boy!"

"What beef do you have with him?" Tom inquired.

"Oh, I'll tell you what beef." Krittle laughed evilly. "I want to fucking tear his flesh from his own damn body while he's still alive and cook him, that's the kind of beef I have with him! He promised to get me out of this damn place and now I'm dead and stuck here forever! I lost all my memories, I turned half-doll, I lost my tits, and so much shit has happened because of him! That's why you shouldn't trust him, you half-brained idiots!"

"Obviously you don't know him like we know him," Edd replied coolly.

"I know him more than you do!" Krittle stomped her feet. "I know what he's done! I've seen it first hand! I've experienced it!"

"Oh really?" Tom cocked an eyebrow. "Then tell us."

Krittle hesitated. "W-Well...I can't say it! It's too awful to recap!"

"Or maybe you just hate him because of, oh I don't know...perhaps his skin color, or his sexuality?" Tord suggested.

Krittle put her hands on her hips and huffed, then turned to Matt. She smiled. "Oh, Matty, there you are."

"Matty?!" Matt cried out.

"Yes, Matty," she said. "I am the one that made up that nickname for you. Because you're mine. Shithead Boy stole it from me."

"I belong to nobody!" Matt screeched.

"Not yet." Krittle smiled sweetly. "You'll belong to me as soon as I finally make you into a mannequin, just like the one holding you there." She held her face, drooling a little. "I'll cut out all your organs and replace the mannequin's stuffing with them. I'll sew your skin onto it and make your hair its wig. I'll drill holes to put in your beautiful eyes and clothe it with exactly what you're wearing right now."

"What the fuck..." Tom couldn't help but voice his opinion.

"You're like, twelve," Matt muttered.

"I am _not_ twelve!" Krittle screamed. "I am an adult, but the doll part took away my damn tits! You would like me if I had some!" She shook her head. "By the way, in order to make you a mannequin, we'd need more...stretched-out skin, you know? What do you think of, say, instant weight-gaining food?" She raised her eyebrows suggestively.

Matt screamed and shouted, "Hell no! You're bloody insane!" He struggled in the mannequin's grasp, somehow managing to get out of it. He turned around and knocked it over, then helped the others out of their mannequins. Krittle stood there, dumbfounded but also awed by Matt's strength. Finally, they were all out and stood in front of Krittle menacingly. She gulped, suddenly scared.

"How did you...?" Krittle couldn't finish her sentence. "My plan...! It's all gone!" She collapsed and weeped.

"Wow, you're really no better than Valentino if you're just gonna sit down and cry when something doesn't go your way," Tord remarked.

Krittle looked up at him, angry tears streaming down her cheeks. "I-I'm not like that gross little...ugh!" She stood up and ran away, still sobbing. The four stared after her for a few moments, then looked at each other.

"What do you say we get going?" Edd suggested. The others nodded, and they headed down the hallway.

If only they knew who was waiting for them.


	21. Trick of the Eyes

Edd, Tom, Matt, and Tord continued down the hallway, slightly shaken by the events that had happened beforehand. Matt was especially scared by everything. All of them were losing hope, becoming paranoid about every little sound and trick of the eyes.

"Why do you think Valentino sacrificed himself for us?" Edd suddenly asked. Tom and Tord turned their heads back to look at him. Tom shrugged and Tord just scoffed and looked back in front of him. Edd sighed and turned to Matt.

"What do you think, Matt?" Edd said to him. Matt jumped and stared at him, relaxing when he realized Edd was the one who had said it.

"What do I think a-about what?" Matt inquired. He looked as if he was trembling.

"About Valentino sacrificing himself for us," Edd replied bluntly. He raised an eyebrow at Matt's previous reaction in confusion and concern.

"Oh, yeah..." Matt looked away. "I guess he just cares that much."

"But why?" Edd mumbled, as if he were asking the question to himself.

The four of them stopped in their tracks as a scream erupted from somewhere in the hotel. It was faint, as if it were far away, but the four of them heard it clear as day. They looked at each other, terror in their faces.

"Do you think that was...?" Tom didn't finish his sentence.

"W-We should go help him!" Matt blurted out.

"Uh, no, we shouldn't," Tord spoke up.

"Why?!" Matt turned to Tord. "You still hate him that much, Tord?! I thought you were two were good now!"

Tord turned to Matt with an angry look on his face. "We are good now. It's just better if we don't go after him."

"If we don't go after him, he's going to be murdered!" Matt screamed. "If you sacrificed yourself for your friends, you would want to get saved, too!"

"If we do go after him, we're going to get murdered!" Tord argued. "If I sacrificed myself for my friends, I would want to fucking die if it means they'll live! I would be terrified if they came after me, because they would get murdered right in front of my damn eyes! Do you want to traumatize Valentino like that, Matt?! After everything he's been through, you would blindly sacrifice yourself to make him even worse than he already is?! Seeing your friends die in front of your eyes would be so much worse than any torture anyone could experience! Open your damn eyes! You're a fucking idiot! If you wanna kill yourself so badly, go right ahead! But don't say I didn't fucking warn you!"

Matt and Tord stared at each other for several moments. Matt's lip quivered and tears started streaming down his cheeks, but he stood defiantly. Tord rolled his eyes and turned away. Matt sighed and stared down at the ground, wiping his tears from his eyes in a vain attempt to stop crying. Edd walked over and patted his shoulder, but whispered to him, "Tord's right." Matt nodded and mouthed, "I know."

"So," Tom broke the silence by changing the subject, "what do you think the next challenge is?"

"Well, well, well!" a voice erupted, coming from everywhere but nowhere. "So you ask, and so I shall answer!"

"Oh god, not you again!" Tom cried out.

"I don't exactly appreciate hearing your ugly tone either!" the voice shot back. "You sound like a British Ebenezer Scrooge mixed with Donald Duck!"

"You sound like you have throat cancer from sucking too many dicks!" Tom yelled.

Tord, at this point, was cracking up by the wall. Matt coughed, looking away, and Edd stood there, not knowing what to do.

"Funny you should say that," the voice continued coolly, "considering you-"

"Stop it!" a garbled voice suddenly intervened.

"Wh- What the hell?" the original voice said, quiet this time. There was more arguing from the garbled voice and the sound of chains clinking together.

"He calls me Ebenezer Scrooge and yet he sounds like he's got the ghost of Jacob Marley locked up with him," Tom muttered. Tord just laughed harder at that. Matt and Edd looked at each other, confused.

However, the sounds and voices coming from everywhere and nowhere suddenly stopped, all at once. It went deathly silent, save for the sound of Tord's laughter slowly dying down. Suddenly, there was an ear-splitting scream. It rattled the entire hotel, shaking everyone to their bones. The room felt colder all of a sudden, as if there was something there that they couldn't see. The scream cut off abruptly, and all was quiet again.

"Sorry about that!" the voice exclaimed. "Anyways, your challenge this time is to figure out who you can and can't trust. Trust is one of the important factors here. Your friends can easily kill you, after all. I certainly wouldn't trust an insane person who can backstab me, especially if said person is a certain little chocolate-loving brunet." The voice laughed and all went silent once more. Edd, Tom, Matt, and Tord all looked at each other with fear and confusion. Tension filled the room, knowing they could all kill each other easily, just like the voice said. Edd shifted away from Matt in uneasiness. Tom took a huge step away from Tord, despite not even being near the red-hooded man.

"Wh-What do we do now?" Edd inquired. His voice fell on deaf ears, as nobody replied. The uneasiness in the room was so thick, you could cut it with a knife. Edd wished he had a knife in order to slice it to pieces and get rid of it. His eyes looked from Tom and Tord, who were having a stare-off, to Matt, who looked nervous.

"Let's just go," Matt suddenly said. He walked off, taking Tord's arm and dragging him behind him.

"Hey-!" the Norwegian cried out, struggling in Matt's grasp. Matt let go of his arm and stopped. Tord brushed himself off and turned to Matt, glaring at him. The ginger glared back. Edd and Tom walked up to them, making them continue down the hallway. They ended up in a hallway full of windows, showing off the beautiful sunshine outside. The hall seemed to go on forever, but the four were grateful to be able to feel the warmth of the sun's rays once more. Occasionally, they would glance over to take a peek at the outside world. They seemed to be on the second or third floor, as they could see houses and hills below. However, despite being completely enveloped by sunshine, the room became colder as they kept walking through it. Finally, Matt stopped the group.

"I'm not the only one who feels cold, am I?" Matt asked. The others shook their heads.

"It's f-freezing in here," Tom replied, shivering. Edd nodded in agreement. Tord seethed, but shivered from the chill as well. Matt frowned and took out his mirror, hoping to find something causing the cold. He stared intently at the mirror, trying to find something, anything, there that they couldn't see. The mirror didn't show any colors, but did show the room in front of them. Matt found a certain spot that looked strange. He looked up from the mirror to the room, then back to the mirror, then back to the room. Suddenly, he gasped, alerting the others. They turned towards Matt and also gasped.

"Valentino?" Matt asked.

The teen stood right in front of them, perfectly fine. He had no emotion on his face. His cinnamon-colored eyes stared straight through the four of them. They stared back, confused and afraid.

"That can't be the real him...can it?" Tord remarked aloud.

Valentino smiled devilishly, laughing. "Of course I am the real me," he answered. "What, do you not trust me?"

The four glanced at each other, suspicion clear on their faces.

"If you're really Valentino," Tord began, "how'd you get away from your brothers?"

"My brothers?" Valentino laughed. "They are easy to run away from. I just tricked them into letting me go."

Tord looked at Edd, Tom, and Matt. They all shared the same look of doubt.

"Alright, if you're really Valentino..." Matt searched the back of his mind for a question. "What's your favorite colour?"

Valentino frowned. "You really want to make me admit such an embarrassing thing?"

Matt muttered a curse under his breath. Tom took a step forward and asked, "What food do you love most?"

"Chocolate, of course!" Valentino clasped his hands together. "It is the best sweet ever made, no exceptions. I. Love. Chocolate." He giggled and Tom growled in return. Tord stepped to the front of the group and smirked, staring at Valentino with fire in his eyes.

"What did you write in your diary on March twenty-second, two thousand and two?" Tord asked.

Valentino suddenly went rigid and his eyes went blank. "March twenty-second, twenty oh two," he said in a robotic voice. "Dear diary, it is my brother's birthday today. He seems unfazed by the fact that we are spending it in such a dreadful place. My other brothers have been celebrating with him all day. They keep greeting people on the street, showing them this place, persuading people to come inside...is that how they will spend every birthday? If so, I hope my birthday never comes along. By the way, dear diary, I hope you do not mind my not mentioning the name of this awful setting, as well as the names of my brothers. The names make me cry. I cannot ruin the ink. Yours, Valentino Vio-" He suddenly stopped and started shaking violently.

"Aren't you going to finish?" Tord inquired. "You have the rest of your signature left."

"V. V. R. R." Valentino said. "V. V. R. R. V. V. R. R." He kept chanting the letters, sounding like a car trying to start up.

"You messed up," Tord remarked. "Nobody can have that great of a memory to remember the exact diary entry of a specific date. Not to mention, you started saying your real name instead of the V. V. R. R. you put at the end of your diary entries."

Valentino stood rigid for a few more seconds, completely silent. Suddenly, copies of him began appearing all around them. They surrounded them in a circle. The room began shifting and turning several different colors, as if it were a glitchy video game.

"Listen to me!" Valentino and the copies shouted. "I will not take your orders or your abuse anymore! I will not sit here and let you kill people day after day anymore! You have hurt so many strangers, broke apart so many families and friendships every single day! And now you are threatening to hurt my friends! I will not stand by and let this happen! I am finally going against you. I will rescue everyone from your grasp!"

Valentino held his head in his hands and laughed, as did the copies. The room shifted violently, the colors changing so quickly they could induce seizures. The copies began suddenly disappearing one by one until only Valentino was left. The room turned into a beautiful meadow. The grass swayed in the gentle breeze. Valentino stood in front of them, a look of disgusted anger on his face.

"If you tell any living human the truth," he began, "we will not hesitate to destroy every single life on this damned planet. We will enslave everyone under our power and kill anyone who rebels, erasing their existence forever. And you will be first to go."

The room shifted again, turning into a regular room with a single window. Edd, Tom, Matt, and Tord stood in front of this window, with the door at their backs. Valentino, however, was standing on the windowsill. He faced the four and his back was to the outside. He smiled.

"Do not worry," he reassured them. "She will be there to catch me."

And he fell backwards.

Matt lunged forwards, his arm reaching out for the brunet. However, as soon as he reached the window, the room turned back to normal, so that they were back in the hallway of windows. Matt found himself grasping only at air, the window gone and only floor there. The other three stood behind him, shaken by what just happened.

"What..." Tom didn't need to finish his question. None of them knew the answer, anyway. They all looked at each other, confused and afraid. Edd went over to Matt to help him, as the ginger was still leaning over as if he were trying to grab Valentino's falling body.

"Are you alright?" Edd whispered. He patted Matt's shoulder. The ginger suddenly crumpled into a heap on the floor. He held his head in his hands and sobbed. Edd sighed and crouched down, trying to comfort Matt as best as he could.

"I wanna go home!" Matt cried out. He shook his head and nearly collapsed completely onto the ground. Edd held him up, trying to calm him down. Tom ran over to help him out. Tord stood at a distance, unsure of what to do.

"We all want to go home, Matt," Edd said, wiping away one of Matt's tears. "We'll get out of here, I promise."

"I can't take all of this anymore!" Matt shouted. "I don't want to see all this death and torture and fighting! I just want everyone to be happy!" He cried harder, his tears dropping onto the ground. Edd pulled him into a hug, rubbing his back and letting him cry into his shoulder.

"It's okay, Matt," Edd whispered. "We're all going to be okay."

"That was just an illusion, after all," Tom added.

Matt suddenly wrenched himself away from Edd and lashed out at Tom. "I don't care if it was just an illusion! I've had to see you guys die and even see myself die over and over again, and those were all illusions! You think those don't break my heart to see, no matter if they're real or not? You think I don't remember them every single minute of my life? You think I'm not absolutely traumatized by seeing that happen?!" Matt let out a pained cry and covered his face in his hands again, sobbing so hard he could hardly breathe. Edd and Tom looked at each other nervously, not knowing what to do.

Finally, Tord walked over and placed a comforting hand on Matt's shoulder, gripping it tightly. Matt removed his face from his hands to look up at him, tears streaming down his cheeks. Tord crouched down to be at eye level with Matt.

"First of all, calm your tits," Tord said. He wiped away some of Matt's tears. "You can't survive for more than a few seconds without your head. If you keep panicking, you'll end up dead and maybe kill others as well. So just take a deep breath and calm down."

Matt closed his eyes and took a shaky breath, then slowly let it out. Tord nodded thoughtfully. Matt opened his eyes again, the blue orbs shining wet with tears. Tord gripped both of Matt's shoulders now.

"Now, you see all the people standing in front of you, Matt?" Tord asked. The ginger nodded. "These people are your friends. Your friends care about you and love you. Your friends will support you and help you. Your friends are here for you. Your friends do so much for you. You gotta do the same for them, and that means keeping a cool head so you don't stress them out. As they say, one bad apple ruins the basket. Or bunch. Or whatever the fuck. I'm Norwegian, I don't know these weird English phrases."

Matt laughed weakly at that. Tord smiled. Edd and Tom looked on in awe.

"Alright, now imagine that my entire rant there is actually a really important document," Tord continued. "You keep important documents in files, right? Get a little file from the back of your brain and put that information into that file. Whenever you start getting panicked, take that file out and look at that important document and remember all that I said to you. That way, you can be calm and collected and ready to support your friends." Tord patted Matt's shoulders and stood up, turning to leave.

"Wait, Tord," Edd called. "How'd you do that?"

Tord turned to look at him. "My dad was a war veteran," Tord explained. "He's been through lots of shit. Whenever I started getting panicky, he just spouted all that off to me. It really helped, so I decided to sorta pass it on." He laughed and gestured to the hallway. "Shall we go?"

The others nodded in agreement. Edd stood up, walking over to Tord. Tom held his hand out to help Matt up. Matt accepted his hand and they walked over to the other two together. However, when they got there, there was another figure standing at the end of the hallway.

"Is that...?" Edd didn't finish his question.

"Me?" Matt finished.

Another Matt stood there in front of them. However, instead of a purple hoodie, he wore a black one. He had his hands in his hoodie pockets and stared at them, looking nervous.

"Who are you?" he asked. "Why are you me?"

"I should be asking you the same thing," Matt replied.

"But I'm me," the other Matt responded. "Why are you stealing my identity?"

"I'm not stealing anyone's identity!" Matt shouted. "I'm the real Matt! You're just...just an illusion!"

The illusion Matt gasped, his face turning from angry to scared.

"You mean..." Illusion Matt held a hand to his mouth. "I don't...exist?" He pulled at his hair. "I don't exist. I am not living? Then how am I here?"

"You're just here to fuck us up," Tord said. "You have no real purpose. You're just some mess of pixels or whatever here to make people unhappy. Is that how you want to spend your miserable existence?"

Illusion Matt shook, now looking terrified. His teeth were clenched together and his hands were grasping at his chest. He looked down at the floor, blue eyes wide from shock.

"I'm not real," he breathed out. The hall suddenly exploded into a million colors, all shifting and changing with each passing second. Illusion Matt staggered backwards, mumbling incoherent phrases. Edd, Tom, Matt, and Tord looked around in fear. Illusion Matt screamed, turned, and tried to run away. However, he wasn't so lucky.

A chain shot out from the floor and grabbed hold of Illusion Matt's leg, tripping him in his escape. It dragged him across the hall, bringing him back towards Edd and the others. When it stopped, he sat up, looking at the ground with fear apparent on his face. He looked back at the others and whimpered, standing up to try and run away again. Before he could turn and run, a syringe suddenly popped out from the wall and injected itself into his neck. He screamed, trying to pull it out of him. The walls turned into neon colors and swirled around in a hypnotizing pattern. Illusion Matt continued crying out in pain, frothing at the mouth now. He started convulsing and hyperventilating. The walls only shifted more violently, making the group feel as if they were on a bad drug trip. Finally, with one last cry of pain, Illusion Matt fell to the ground and never moved again. A force reverberated throughout the room, and the walls were back to normal.

Edd, Tom, Matt, and Tord all stared at the body. They glanced up to look at each other for a few moments, all sharing the same expression of fear. Tord was the first to begin stepping forward. He hesitated upon reaching the body, then stepped over one of its arms and ran the rest of the way. When he was a few feet away from the body, he turned and looked at the rest of his group. Edd sidled on the wall, trying his best not to step on the body or anywhere near it. He soon met up with Tord. Tom grabbed Matt's hand and the two of them ran across, Matt nearly tripping over his own illusion's arm.

"Let's get out of here," Tord suggested, turned to see Tom and Matt. He glanced back at the body and turned away, continuing down the hallway with a groan. The other three followed him, glad to be away from the corpse of someone. They turned left, as that was the only way they could go, and stopped in their tracks.

In the middle of the hallway was a cube of water. It had a gelatinous appearance and they couldn't tell where it ended. It was full of living creatures, mostly fish. Coral, sponges, and anemones were strewn about the ground. It looked like they walked inside of the ocean. And it looked like someone else had walked in with them. Tord stepped forward to see who it was. They looked just like him, except they had three hair points sticking up rather than the devil-horned hairstyle that Tord had. They turned to look at the group. This illusion Tord stood fully inside of the water cube, unlike the others who were wise enough to not submerge themselves.

"How does he breathe in there?" Tord muttered.

"Maybe illusions have gills," Matt commented.

"I do not need to breathe," Illusion Tord answered. His voice was garbled due to the water. "I am not of your plane of existence. I do not need your...oxygen." He made a disgusted face, morphed by the water.

Edd, Tom, Matt, and Tord stared at him. He stared back, eyes cold and emotionless. Suddenly, Edd grabbed Tord's shoulder and pulled him close. The Norwegian man struggled, surprised, then gasped when he saw what Edd had seen. A large shark was coming up behind Illusion Tord, making its way unseen. Edd made gestures to try and alert Illusion Tord to it, however he just laughed.

"I am immortal," was all he said before the shark ripped him to pieces. The water turned red and began shaking violently. The cube collapsed and the water flooded the hallway, turning into an ocean. Edd, Tom, Matt, and Tord were swept under, surprised by how quickly it happened. They soon came back up to the surface, all trying to find shore together. Tord felt something brush against him and looked down.

The body of his illusion was swimming by him, unblinking eyes staring up at the ceiling. It was torn in several places, not even whole anymore. The water around the parts was tinted red. Tord felt a wave of guilt wash over him like the waves surrounding him now. The situation hit him all of a sudden and he screamed, swimming as fast as he could to get away from the body. Matt screeched a few moments later, crying out as his illusion's body also brushed up against him. The arm reached out, the hand looking as if it wanted to clench onto him for life again. The ocean stretched out for miles, but luckily for them, a shore had appeared. Edd and Tom made their way to it, holding out their hands to help up Tord and Matt. They stared out at the sea, standing on the soft sand.

"How are we not completely drenched?" Matt questioned. He felt his clothes, surprised at how dry they were. Tom just shrugged and the others shook their heads. They looked at the ocean and Tord pointed at a group of rocks across the water.

"There's a ship hauled up against there," Tord pointed out. The others soon saw the wreck out there. Wood was splintered against the rocks and the boat had been torn to shreds. A figure lay in the wreckage, crashed up against the rocks. The waves splashed over its legs occasionally. Tom squinted his eyes and could tell that the figure was him - another illusion, of course. It seemed to have normal eyes, unlike Tom's own black eyes. There was also blood pouring from the head, showing how much damage they went through. Tom turned away and headed up the shore, wanting to get away from the water. The other three followed him up, walking up a sand dune of sorts. The sand started becoming solid ground as they walked up farther.

"Don't tell me that an illusion me is up there," Edd said, gesturing to another figure standing at the edge of the cliff they were coming up to. He groaned inwardly as they came closer and identified it as Illusion Edd. However, this time he had a single hair spike in the back rather than two. Upon him turning around, they could see he also correctly had Edd's green eyes this time. It seemed that all these illusions made different mistakes, though never the same as the last one. Edd sighed and walked farther up the hill to confront the illusion.

"Don't come any closer," Illusion Edd demanded. Edd stopped in his tracks, afraid. Illusion Edd grinned and continued, "You are not adapted here. If you walk farther ahead, you will surely die. Turn back while you still can."

"What do you mean further ahead?" Edd asked. "Like, to the cliff's edge or down that way?" He pointed his thumb to the right, where more rock awaited them.

"Any way that you go will lead you to your demise," Illusion Edd warned. "It is only a matter of time, just as mine is." He gave them all a salute and, before anyone could even realize what he was doing, stepped backwards and fell off the edge of the cliff. All they heard was the crunch of his body hitting what was most likely rocks below. Edd gulped, staring in fear at the spot where his illusion just stood. Tom stomped over to Edd and pulled him along. Tord and Matt followed behind them. They clambered over rocks and solid ground, cliffs to their left and the way down to the sea at their right. As they walked farther, the rock turned back into the wood halls of the hotel. They continued through it, not knowing nor caring where they were going. They soon arrived at an intersection.

"Well, do you guys prefer left or right?" Tord asked. "Or we can split up."

"Turning back isn't an option at this point," Edd added quietly. "I don't want to see that again." The others nodded in agreement.

"Wait." Matt took out his mirror. "Maybe there's another option." He waved it around, looking down the halls and finally at the wall in front of them. He let out a gasp of surprise and touched the surface of the mirror, making it bubble up. Tom and Edd shifted out of the way as Matt turned the mirror at the wall. A substance shot out of it and revealed a door just in front of them. Matt put his mirror back in his pocket and pushed the door open. His jaw nearly dropped to the floor when he saw who was in there - or more specifically, what had happened to the person in there.

Valentino sat at the farthest wall, chained at his ankles and wrists to the wall. His face was still mangled from the attack earlier and he had bruises and scratches on nearly every inch of skin that wasn't concealed by his clothes. His left eye was nearly swollen shut, but he still looked happy to see them.

"You really came for me," he said. He lifted up his leg, mostly in an attempt to get up, but also to show his predicament.

"Thank fuck!" Tom exclaimed. "With all the shit that's been happening so far, I was expecting to walk in here and see another dead body. Man, I'm glad you're alive."

Valentino chuckled. "I am not...entirely alive, I suppose," he remarked.

"Are those jerkwads still here?" Matt inquired.

"I'm gonna punch the cruelty out of those shit-for-brains if they're still here," Tord said. He pushed his fist into his other hand to show that he meant it.

"They left a while ago," Valentino answered. "I was abandoned here to think about what I have done."

"You haven't even done anything," Edd argued. He stepped fully into the room, as did the others. They closed the door behind them. Matt kept a hand on his mirror just in case, but was afraid to pull it out with Valentino present. He looked like he wanted to say something.

"Go ahead," Valentino approved. He turned his face away as to not look at the mirror. While Matt continued on with his work of protecting the door, Valentino crossed his arms and shifted into a more comfortable position. He sighed.

"Yowza." Tord seethed. "What's with those chains?"

"Oh, these?" Valentino held up his arms, making the chains clink together. "Restraints, of course. They did not want to have to take extra work in keeping me pinned down, so they made it easier for their task."

"That's awful," Tom commented. "They just put you in more pain like that."

Valentino let out a sharp laugh. "Well, I suppose I deserved it."

"No, you didn't!" Matt suddenly yelled, making everyone in the room jump and stare at him. "Why do you think you did? You make yourself out to be so awful all the time! You see horrible things happen and you think it's all your fault, even if you weren't even involved! You suffer through all this abuse despite doing nothing wrong and you think you deserve it? You should be angry! You should be standing up for yourself, not letting yourself get hurt and wasting away because of it! You shouldn't listen to what they say about you!"

Valentino opened his mouth to say something, but Matt cut him off.

"No, don't say a word!" Matt shouted. "I know the next words out of your mouth will just be more self-loathing and I don't want to hear it! Listen to me, and listen clearly. None of this is your fault. It's not anyone's fault. You don't deserve all this bullshit you go through - nobody does! You shouldn't be so down all the time because it makes everyone upset! It's really unhealthy to think the way you do, not just because it hurts you, but because it hurts others too! If you would give your life for us, you should change for us, too. You don't want to see your friends upset just because you can't go a second without hating yourself, do you?"

Valentino took a few moments to respond. "I really...do that?"

Matt nodded. "You do it all the time. I'm surprised your frown hasn't been glued permanently to your face."

Valentino looked down at the ground and pushed the bottoms of his feet together with his hands. "I'm sorry."

Matt sighed. "Look, we just want to see you happy. You being all upset makes us upset and it makes you panic and that makes us panic and it's a never-ending cycle. If you just try to be a little more positive, it'll help us all. Maybe it could help us get out of here."

Valentino nodded slightly. "I'll...I'll try."

Tord stepped over to him. "Before we do anything else, let's get those damn chains off of you." He took Valentino's arm, making the teen look up in surprise, and tried pulling off the cuff of the chain.

"That hurts!" Valentino cried out.

"I know it does, but it'll hurt less once it's off," Tord growled. He continued trying to pull it off, but gave up after a while. "That shit's on tight."

"Maybe we need soap or something?" Edd suggested. "Hotels always have those fancy little soap bars, right?"

Tord shook his head. "We need to resort to drastic measures." He pulled his gun out of his hoodie pocket. Valentino's expression turned terrified.

"You're...You're gonna shoot me?!" Valentino yelped.

"What?" Tord tilted his head. "No, I'm gonna-"

Valentino held his head in his hands and sobbed, "I knew you would g-get revenge on me someday! I just didn't think it would be like...l-like this!" He cried harder.

"Hey, hey, calm down," Tord tried comforting him. "I'm aiming for the chains."

"I don't want to go out like Papá!" Valentino screamed. 

The whole room went dead silent, save for Valentino's crying. Tension fell over the room like a thick cloud. The group looked at each other with the same fearful expression.

Had they heard that correctly?

"H-Here, Tom," Tord stammered, pushing the brunet over to Valentino. "Your father was shot by a gun, too. Maybe you can sympathize with him."

"Excuse me?!" Tom wrenched himself away from Tord. "I don't know what the fuck to say! That wasn't even canon!"

"Then what the hell do we do?!" Tord screeched.

"Calm down is what we do." Edd stepped in between the two of them. "The more we panic, the more upset everyone will get. This will only make things worse." He stepped over to Valentino and crouched down to his level. "Tord isn't gonna shoot you. He's just trying to get those chains off. Please, keep still so he can help."

"I don't want th-that thing anywhere near me," Valentino stammered, still covering his face. "I d-don't care if it's harmless, it still makes me think..." He shivered, but was calming down.

"Alright." Edd turned to Tord. "Put the gun away. We're trying something else."

"What else can we do?" Tord questioned.

"This." Tom stepped over to Valentino's other side, Susan in his hands. He held his bass by the neck and pulled the base to the chain so that the chain fit in the indent. He then backed up slowly, pulling the chain with him. Eventually, he stepped so far back that the chain couldn't handle the pressure and broke. Tom let out a whoop of joy and Valentino let out a surprised and happy noise. Tom moved on to the next chain, slowly breaking it as well as the other two. Valentino stood up and sighed happily, relieved to be free from the wall. He held out his arms once more, showing the cuffs still attached to him.

"Now, we must figure out how to get these off," Valentino said.

Tord snapped his fingers. "I've got it. Matt, I need your mirror."

"What for?" Matt held his mirror protectively.

"Just give me it." Tord held out his hand. Matt reluctantly handed his mirror to him. Tord slipped the handle of the mirror under the cuff of one of the chains. He held the mirror by its glass and pushed the handle towards the cuff, able to slowly slip it off of Valentino's wrist due to the fact that the handle was slightly bigger at one end. He did the same with the rest of the cuffs. Valentino beamed when it was all done, then pulled down his sleeve to look at the damage. He winced at the pain and stared at his wrist, scarred by the tight cuffs.

"Hmm..." Tord took Valentino's arm and inspected the wound. "This won't be too hard to treat."

"Treat?" Valentino echoed.

Tord laughed. "My father was a war veteran. I know all the ways to treat wounds so they don't get infected and heal faster, thanks to him. I'm sorta like a nurse, I guess."

"You would do that for me?" Valentino asked. His eyes shone with happiness.

"Of course!" Tord smiled. "That's what friends are for, aren't they?"

Valentino took on a surprised expression, his eyes still shining. "F-Friends?" He grinned.

"Yeah!" Tord pumped his fist into the air. "Now come here, you big knob!" He pulled Valentino into a hug, tousling his hair. The brunet laughed, struggling to get out of Tord's grasp. Even though Valentino was still in pain, he had never been happier.

"Now, let's get out of here," Tom said. "I'm tired of standing in such a gloomy room."

The others agreed and together they headed out of the room, off to find a treatment for Valentino.

*

A figure, in the midst of darkness, laughed. They had been unseen by the group, yet had followed them everywhere and seen everything they'd done. They turned to their accomplices, grinning evilly.

"They're breaking down," they said in a thousand voices. "They try to be happy and hopeful, but I can see their truth. They doubt their escape."

The others laughed, making it seem as if there were a crowd standing before them.

"They will be joining our ranks soon," one of the two accomplices replied. "They can't last much longer."

The leader grinned, sharp teeth shining. "I can't wait to see their method of suicide."

"I can't wait to see what they'll look like when they're cursed for good!" the final creature shouted.

All three of them laughed, making a foreboding atmosphere envelop the hotel once more...


	22. Casual Affair

"Hey, Tino..."

The mention of his nickname sent chills up Valentino's spine. He turned to Matt, who looked at him curiously. The five of them were all walking down the hallway aimlessly, checking the doors as they went along. There hadn't been anything to write home about.

"Why'd you sacrifice your life for us back there?" Matt asked.

"Is that not obvious?" Valentino chuckled. "It was because I care about you."

"But..." Matt looked away. "Why do you care so much?"

Valentino frowned and looked at the ground instead. "Well..." He tried to think of how to respond. "You are the only people who have believed in me. You give me hope and you make me so...happy all the time. It is a blessing to have you around. I would do anything if it meant you could stay alive and make other people as happy as you make me." He looked up at them and smiled. "Is that good enough of an answer?"

The four of them stared at Valentino in awe. Matt's blue eyes shone with happiness. 

"Of course it is!" Matt exclaimed. "I'm glad we're able to make you so happy." He beamed and Valentino laughed nervously, looking away as his face turned red.

"Huh, look at this," Tom suddenly said. He gestured to a window on their right. "It's raining outside."

"As usual," Edd sighed. "I'm surprised it hasn't been raining ever since we got here."

Valentino made a noise of thought as he stared at the rain and turned to Edd. "What day is it?" he inquired.

Edd pulled out his phone and checked the calendar. "January twenty-second," he responded. "But it's already nearly six o clock..." He looked at the window again and frowned. "How long will it be until we get out of here?" he mumbled.

"January twenty-second..." Valentino echoed. He stared off into space, eyes blank. "Less than a month already."

"Less than a month until what?" Tord questioned.

Valentino shook his head. "You need not worry about it," he replied. "It is merely a personal matter. Shall we move on?"

"Why do you talk so formally?" Tom asked.

"Hmm?" Valentino turned to the brunet and raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"Well, you never use contractions and you always use this extensive range of vocabulary and all these metaphors we don't understand," Tom continued. "You get out of it when you're scared or upset, but why do you force yourself to do it all the time?"

Valentino chuckled. "I learned that being formal is the best way to talk," he responded. "It means I respect you."

"I guess it's good that you do that," Matt chimed in. "That way, we can't confuse your voice for someone else's. It makes it easier to know it's you."

Valentino smiled. "I suppose so."

"There's other things, too," Edd added. "You roll your r's sometimes."

"And whenever you get a minor injury, you say 'ay' instead of 'ow' like a normal person," Tord remarked.

"Those are just a Spanish thing!" Valentino exclaimed indignantly. "It is not my fault it happens..." He turned away, pouting. When the others laughed, however, he couldn't help but laugh along with them. They just managed to make him that happy.

"Oh, by the way," Matt began. "Tino, have you seen all the illusions around here too?"

Matt using his nickname made Valentino smile wider, but the mention of the illusions made his expression go disgusted. He turned away and growled, "I do not want to hear of what they did to you. I have had enough of them."

Matt looked at the others, who all shared the same confused expression as him. He shrugged and put his hands in his pockets, silently continuing down the hallway with the others.

"I hope we can find the library again after this," Tord commented. "There's a lot of information in the books there."

"All you mentioned to me was a book on making tea," Edd replied. "Is that really so important to you?"

Tord laughed. "There's so many other books there. Maybe we can find a way out of here through them."

By now, Valentino had ended up at the back of the group. They were turning left at a kink in the hallway when Valentino heard something behind him. He paused, turning to look down the hall. Upon seeing a familiar figure running towards him, he yelped, however he could not get out of the way in time before the person pinned him to the wall. Edd, Tom, Matt, and Tord stopped to see what the commotion was all about.

"Tino!" the person exclaimed. "It's so nice to see you again!" They grabbed Valentino's face and kissed him on both cheeks.

"Rumor!" Valentino laughed, trying to push him away. "The others are here, you know..."

Rumor turned to look at the four and chuckled. "Hello, you all!" he greeted. "It's nice to meet you, finally. I thought I never would. I'm Rumor, by the way." When Edd opened his mouth, Rumor cut in, "No need to introduce yourselves, I already know your names."

"Have you no shame?" Valentino muttered. His face was pink, most likely from still being pinned against the wall. Rumor realized this fact and let go of him, then gasped when he saw Valentino's face.

"My dear Tino, what happened to you?" He grabbed the brunet's face gently and examined it.

"You know who happened," Valentino replied, frowning. Rumor let out a low growl.

"I wish I could stop them from doing this to you so much," Rumor hissed.

"Do not be so hasty, Rumor," Valentino warned. "You know what happened last time we tried...."

"I know." Rumor sighed and let go of him, scratching the back of his neck. Valentino looked down at the ground, unsure of what to do.

"There they are!" another familiar voice exclaimed. Valentino and Rumor looked up to see Liberty running down the hallway, dragging along with her someone Edd, Tom, Matt, and Tord had never met yet. Liberty finally made it to the group and barked, "Why'd you go so fast? Are you trying to leave us behind?" The other woman present studied the group. She had antlers sprouting from the top of her head and deer-like ears on the sides. She was also extremely tall, seemingly taller than Matt, though that may have just been the antlers.

Rumor laughed. "Of course not, ma chère! I was just excited to see my lovely friend again."

"What is this, a family reunion?" Tord remarked.

Rumor laughed. "In a way, I guess it is. After all, Liberty is my daughter."

"Daughter?!" Edd, Tom, Matt, and Tord cried out in unison.

"You look so young!" Tord added.

Rumor laughed again. "Looks can be deceiving," he remarked.

"Who are these four?" the woman finally asked. "I have not met you."

"Oh!" Rumor beamed. "Anastasia, these are Edd, Tom, Matt, and Tord. They are new humans here." He said the word humans like someone would say the word outcasts.

Anastasia smiled, her unnatural ears twitching. "It is very nice to meet you." She suddenly noticed Valentino standing there. "Who was it this time?" Her voice had a hint of annoyance to it.

"My brothers," Valentino answered simply. He was huddled up to the wall now, looking a bit uncomfortable with the large crowd of people around him. "We were just on our way to help heal some of this..."

"You needn't do such a thing now," Anastasia replied. She clasped her hands together and upon taking them apart, revealed a flower in her hand. She held it up to her lips and blew on it, petals drifting towards Valentino and swirling all around him. They soon fell to the ground, wilting and turning into dust before they could even hit the floor. When it was all over, Valentino had been completely healed. The brunet rolled down his sleeves and beamed upon seeing even the wounds from the chains had been healed. Edd, Tom, Matt, and Tord looked on in awe.

"How did you...?" Tord couldn't think of a way to finish his sentence.

"Ghosts have healing powers," Anastasia answered simply.

"Healing...powers?" Matt echoed. He didn't seem to believe it was true, nor did the others. Tord desperately wanted to go back to the library and read up on this.

"Now you are completely healed, mon chèri!" Rumor exclaimed, patting Valentino's cheeks. "Though, even with your scars, you still look simply gorgeous."

Valentino squeaked, his face turning red. "Rumor, you are embarrassing me..." He looked away, trying to avoid bringing attention to his blushing face. Rumor chuckled and held Valentino's face in his hands, making the brunet look up at him.

"Oh, Valentino..." Rumor sighed, smiling. "Je peux faire plus que simplement vous embarrasser~"

If Valentino's face could get any redder, it would be glowing like Rudolph's nose by now. He had no idea what Rumor had said, but could conjure up some kind of phrase thanks to Rumor's tone. He whimpered, unable to do anything other than stare at the French man. Rumor simply laughed it off and turned to Anastasia and Liberty, taking his hands off of Valentino. Valentino, however, let his hands linger on Rumor's wrists, still gripping them in shock.

"Well, you two, how would you want to go about this?" Rumor began. "I could stay with these five and you two could go off on your own, us three could go off together, all of us could stay together, whatever you'd like to do. That is..." Rumor turned to the other five. "If you're comfortable with it."

"It'd be nice to get to know you three better," Matt replied. Edd and Tom nodded and Tord shrugged as a gesture of agreement. Valentino bowed his head as if to nod, though was still too embarrassed to say anything.

"Rumor," Anastasia reminded him, "we have business to attend to. That's why we were walking through here in the first place."

"Oh." Rumor sounded disappointed. "Right." He turned to Edd and his friends. "Well, it was nice meeting you four! Maybe we'll see each other again." He turned back to Valentino. "I do hope we'll be able to catch up. After all, we have private matters to attend to."

Valentino's head shot up, face redder than ever. "Rumor!" he cried out. "You make it sound like we are engaging in something dirty!"

Rumor chuckled and grabbed Valentino's chin, tilting it upwards. He planted a kiss on top of Valentino's head and met his eyes once more. "Perhaps, someday, we shall." He winked, then let out a yelp of pain as Anastasia grabbed him by the ear.

"You're going to make that poor boy's face turn into a tomato with how much you flirt with him," Anastasia remarked, pulling along both Rumor and Liberty with her.

"Okay, okay." Rumor gave in, but pulled himself out of Anastasia's grasp. While still walking away, he turned his head and waved a goodbye to the five of them. They waved back and watched them slowly disappear down the hall. Edd, Tom, Matt, and Tord then turned to Valentino, who was trying to wipe the blush from his face.

"Is he your boyfriend or something?" Edd inquired bluntly.

"No!" Valentino replied, a little too loudly. He cleared his throat and said, "No," a little more quietly this time. "He is not my boyfriend. He already has Anastasia, after all."

_And_ , Valentino thought, _I love someone else._

"Then what's with all the kissing and flirting?" Tord asked.

"It makes me feel better about myself," Valentino mumbled, wringing his hands together nervously.

"And Anastasia's okay with that?" Tom questioned.

"She is a patient woman," Valentino commented. "She understands that I desire affection and that Rumor will not overstep his boundaries, so she allows it. Liberty likes making fun of it, anyways." He chuckled. "She has spunk."

"What do we do now?" Tord said. "We don't really have a purpose walking around here since you're all healed."

"We can still stay together, though," Valentino pointed out. "We could just...talk. Or think. Whatever you would like to do." He added, under his breath, "Please do not leave me alone."

"Then let's just walk," Tom suggested. "We don't have to talk or anything. We can just relax and have a nice exploration trip around here."

"Sounds good!" Edd agreed. The others nodded and off they went.

Valentino decided this was a good time to let his mind wander. He wondered if they were being genuine to him. After all, he kept himself hidden from them. He still hadn't completely opened up due to his own trust issues. Not to mention there was so much he had to lie about and cover up the truth, thanks to that warning...

He shook his head to clear it. He didn't want to think about that. He just wanted to think about his friends, the people who had stayed with him all this time. He smiled just knowing they were there with him. They made him so...happy. He wanted to go over in his mind what he knew about them, so he didn't lose them.

Edd was the jokester. He had a happy-go-lucky attitude about life. He always seemed optimistic, but didn't take anyone's bullshit. He tried to be the peacemaker or voice of reason in arguments and always seemed to know just what to say. He loved cats, the color green, and presumably Cola. However, he was weak - not physically, but emotionally. The sights of this hotel easily caused him to break down. He tried to keep up a strong armor in front of his friends, but even Valentino could tell that the shell was breaking piece by piece. He just hoped that it wouldn't come down completely.

Tord was sort of the outcast of the group. He was more reserved and from a different country entirely, as well as had no filter when it came to lewd jokes. He was hotheaded and cold, contributing to his acting like an asshole most of the time. He was also pretty trigger-happy and loved the color red. However, due to his experience with his father being a war veteran - as Valentino had recently learned - he was strong in the sense that he could take most anything that life threw at him. He was also very smart and knowledgable, especially in the medical field. Valentino felt as if he also knew much about engineering, though maybe that was just him.

Tom seemed to be the most sane of them all. He always looked like he was having a rough day, but was generally happy. He loved music and vodka - Valentino remembered him mentioning that Smirnoff was his favorite brand - as well as the color blue. He could be cold at times, but under that hard shell stood a heart of gold. Unfortunately, this heart could be broken fairly easily, and the hotel was merciless with it. Valentino figured this was why Tom always seemed so angry when things didn't go well. It was a façade, an act, to make himself live through it. He also had some sort of rivalry with Tord, though Valentino could never figure out why.

And finally, there was Matt, the...interesting one of the group. He couldn't really fit into one single category, as he was tall, handsome, funny, not very bright, et cetera. Valentino had learned that the ginger was egotistical, though cared for his friends more than anything. He wondered just how Matt managed to balance out self-love and love for others. After all, Valentino gave out all his love to others and turned himself into a human-shaped glob of self-loathing, and others seemed to be too prideful or somewhere in between. Matt, however, could balance it so well that Valentino didn't know how he wasn't stressed out one hundred percent of the time. He seemed to love purple (the color of royalty, Valentino noted) and carried a mirror with him at all times. He couldn't bear to have his clothes dusty or his hair disheveled, but would gladly give his life and pride for his friends. Valentino also learned to never make him mad, as evidenced by his intensity earlier when ranting to Valentino.

_But he's hot when he's angry!_ a little voice in the back of Valentino's brain protested.

_True, true_ , Valentino thought. However, he would rather give up that extra flame of beauty to Matt than risk hurting Matt's feelings just to see him so intense again. Besides, the action made him feel things that could lead to other things, which could lead to Matt never speaking to him again, no matter how many excuses he made up. However, thinking about all of them brought him to another question - or rather, many questions.

Did they lie? Did they wear masks? Did they hide their pasts and emotions? Did they cover up the truth? Were they all fake? Were they...just like him?

Valentino shook his head to clear it, brought out of his thoughts by Edd asking, "What's that sound?"

Tord nodded, covering his ears. "It's not pleasant."

Valentino remembered this sound. It sounded like a TV tuned to static, grainy and ear-splitting. He knew exactly what - or rather, who - this sound belonged to. He immediately became wary of his surroundings, scared at what might happen.

"Valentino?" Tom snapped his fingers in front of the brunet's face. "Do you know what this is all about?"

Valentino sighed. "Do you remember the Watchers I told you about so long ago?" he inquired.

Tom and Edd nodded. Tord and Matt took a few moments to think, then nodded as well.

"Well," Valentino began, "that sound means one of the Watchers is near. Considering the volume, he is definitely close. However, that is not exactly a good sign. Personally..." Valentino leaned in close, as if to avoid being heard by anyone but the four in front of him. "The Watchers are terrifying. They are extremely powerful beings and completely unpredictable. It is best if we are unnoticed by them."

However, the static noise rose to a screech, then died back down again. Valentino went rigid.

"He knows we are here," he whispered. He turned to the walls around them and noticed a door to his right that stood slightly ajar. He turned back to Edd, Tom, Matt, and Tord. "You four, stay here until I come back out," he advised. He gently stepped into the room, walking cautiously. A figure stood in the middle of the room, its back to Valentino.

"Um..." Valentino didn't know what to say. "Sorry for intruding, sir." He stepped fully into the room, slightly closing the door behind him. "I hope we did not b-bother you..."

The figure turned to face Valentino. From the neck down, he looked like a normal human. However, his head was completely missing and replaced by an old television. The TV was tuned to static, but words soon appeared on the screen.

'You are never a bother,' they read.

"Really?" Valentino looked up with a face of hope. However, he soon turned his head downwards in shame. "Still, I know you like to be alone, and yet here I am..."

The static grew louder and Valentino looked up to see his response. He gasped in surprise upon reading it.

"You want to...meet them?" Valentino echoed, shocked. "But...are you sure you will not feel so guilty?"

'I want to see them while they're still alive,' the screen immediately answered. 'Now get them.'

Valentino yelped, crying out, "Y-Yes, sir!" and running out into the hallway. He turned to Edd, Tom, Matt, and Tord. "He wants to see you," was all he said before darting back into the room. However, immediately upon going in, he let out a screech and held the door open for the other four, gesturing them to hurry inside and then closing the door behind them once they had entered. To the four, he seemed abnormally terrified. To Valentino, however, this was completely justified.

"Edd, Tom, M-Matt, Tord," Valentino began, shuffling over to the Watcher's side. "This is...how should I introduce you?"

The screen read, 'Randolph is fine.'

Valentino nodded, still looking nervous. "Erm...yes. That is his name." He stood there, bouncing up and down on his heels, not knowing what to do. Randolph turned to Edd, Tom, Matt, and Tord instead.

'You are human, correct?' the screen asked.

"One hundred percent homo sapien!" Tord responded.

"Also one hundred percent homo, in his case," Tom remarked. Tord smacked him on the arm.

"I'm not even gay!" he protested.

"You kinda are," Tom argued.

"What, do I need to go around waving the bisexual flag around in everyone's faces for people to get that I'm bi?" Tord grumbled.

Randolph's static turned up louder, as a warning. Valentino jumped back when it happened, hoping nothing serious had happened. He sighed in relief when he saw it was just an argument and shifted back into a comfortable standing position, staring at the ground. Tom and Tord turned back to the Watcher, stopping their fight.

'So this is your first time in the hotel,' the screen read. The four nodded and the screen changed to say, 'I'm sorry.' Randolph even tilted his head downwards, as if he felt guilty.

"Why are you sorry?" Matt inquired.

Randolph tilted his head back up and his screen went darker. Finally, it read, 'I am the reason you all are stuck in this place.'

Valentino wrung his hands together. He bit his lip to keep from crying and stared at the ground. He hated this situation and being forced into it. He wished he could leave the room, but he was much too scared.

Suddenly, Randolph turned to Valentino. The static went loud to catch his attention. Valentino stared up at him and the screen read, 'I want to speak to them alone.'

Valentino nodded, as his throat closed up and he couldn't answer. He ran out of the room, happy to be out of there. He shifted over to the wall and leaned against it, shivering. He covered his mouth with one hand, trying to keep himself quiet. He slowly slid down the wall, ending up in a collapsed sitting position. He took a shaky breath, trying to calm down.

Why was he so upset about this? He had heard this story so many times before, knew it like the back of his hand, but every mention of it made him cry. He knew how guilty the Watchers felt about it and hated seeing them so upset. Maybe that was his problem. What scared him most right now, however, were Edd, Tom, Matt, and Tord's possible reactions. If they got angry...

Valentino's mind went to the worst possible scenarios and he shook his head to try and clear it. However, the thoughts clouded his mind and suddenly they were all he could think about. He stifled a gasp and closed his eyes tightly in an attempt to keep the tears from flowing.

_Crybaby_ , he thought to himself. _You're such a crybaby. Can't handle reality like everyone else can. Can't just fucking man up. Can't even be a good son, nor a good brother._

Valentino held his face in his hands, letting out sobs now.

_You can't stand up for yourself. You can't help people out. You can't make people happy. All you do is waste people's time. You're just a waste of space, an overlooked existence, a glitch in the system. You can't do anything right. You try to love everyone, but all you do is hurt them more and more. You're such a fucking idiot. You let yourself get abused, you let yourself fall in love with a man, you let yourself get roped into being accused of things you didn't do, you let yourself become the social outcast, you let yourself murder a member of your own family, and you let yourself leave your own goddamn-_

Valentino slammed his hand onto the floor. He looked towards the door next to him, hoping nobody had heard it. He dug his fingers into the floor, wishing he could stop crying and stop thinking about all this, but the thoughts always came back to haunt him.

_Your own crush told you to stop being like this. How much of a failure are you?_

_Do you remember what you did that day? February nineteenth? That's right. You ruined everything. Nothing would be like this if you just hadn't done what you did that day. Everything would be okay if you hadn't decided to do it._

_It's all your fucking fault, Valentino._

Valentino felt something cold around his hand and looked down. He gasped as he saw colors forming around it, reaching out from his fingers across the floor. He moved his hands up to inspect them and saw all the marks. He clenched his teeth together.

Not this. Not now.

Valentino looked back at the door, still slightly ajar. He hadn't heard anything come from there so far. He stood up, trembling. He didn't know whether to wait out here, go in, or run away. He couldn't bear to leave them, but...

He couldn't let them see him like this. They would be so angry. He didn't want to let Matt down already.

So he turned and ran down the hallway. Away from the tears still slipping down his cheeks. Away from the marks appearing on his skin. Away from the fears that haunted him so. Away from the problems that he could never find solutions to. Away from the thoughts that clouded his mind and enveloped him in despair. Away from the friends who cared about him. Away from all the colors shifting across the walls, pursuing him like a panther on his heels. Away from this damned hotel that had ruined his life, away to his home that he missed so much, away to Annabeth who he just wanted to hug one last time.

But no matter how hard he tried, no matter how fast he ran, no matter where he tried to hide, he could never get himself out of death's tight grasp.


	23. New Perspective

Valentino didn't know where he was. He didn't remember what he was doing or what had happened. All he knew was that he was still trapped in this godforsaken hotel and suddenly lying on the ground. He groaned and tried to get up, his head swimming. He guessed he deserved this for abusing the hotel's powers. Finally, he was able to stand up, but still felt dizzy. His legs were heavy, he felt extremely tired, and he felt hunger pangs arising. He decided to just travel through the hallways and hope to find food or something somewhere.

As Valentino walked, his memory slowly drifted back to him. That's right. He had run away out of the blue like that because of all his ugly faults. Now he was utterly alone and lost. Great. Just great.

Valentino sighed to himself and held his arms out in front of him. The marks were still there on his hands, evidence of his wearing down. He gently pulled down his sleeve and seethed at the sight. Dozens of scars stared back at him, all made by his or his family's hand. He frowned and pulled his sleeve back up again. Suddenly, everything was becoming itchy to him and he fought the urge to scratch it. It was all just the healing scars. He didn't have enough hands to reach it all, or he'd be scratching all day. It's not like he had nails to be able to scratch it, anyways.

A sharp pain went through Valentino's body and he had to stop at the sudden loss of air. He took a shuddering breath, clenching his teeth. Once the pain subsided, he began walking again, a little more unsteady this time. He definitely needed to find some food or a bed soon. However, he didn't know where to find any. The only place he knew of was a little kitchen run by the dolls, but they hated him. He wouldn't trust Krittle with his food anyways. He tapped his chin, then noticed a door to his right. He stepped over to it and opened it, then made a surprised yet gleeful squeak upon seeing it.

A grassy meadow awaited him, with a sparkling pond in the middle that glittered in the sunshine. A waterfall led to this pond, its roaring water cascading down across rocks into the pool. Flowers and reeds blossomed around it, making a beautiful scene. Valentino hurried over to the water, sitting at the edge and dipping his hand in it. He shivered at how cold it was, but smiled anyways. He loved water. It was like a second home to him. He took his hand out of the water and gasped once more. The marks had disappeared. This was healing water! Valentino beamed at the discovery, then stared down at his reflection in the water and shrugged. He usually didn't like getting his hair wet, but eh, what the heck.

Valentino turned his body around so his back faced the water and laid down, dipping his upper body into the water. All the space from his chest up to his neck was submerged. He stared out into the clear water, looking at all the sea creatures and other life playing around and just being happy. He smiled as well, then pulled himself back out of the water.

"Brr!" Valentino shivered, but laughed anyways. He shook his head like a dog. Water fell off of him in droplets, which wasn't enough to make him dry. His hair came undone as well, making him sigh. He twisted his hair like a towel to try and dry it faster. He liked using his hair to cover up his ears, as he felt they were big and embarrassing, but he couldn't keep his hair in place when it was wet. He also wanted to hide the fact that he wore earrings, as people had made fun of him for them in the past. Another fact about his hair that he kept hidden was that a few segments of it were much longer, making it so that when it was undone, it looked like he had goat ears. Right now, they were draped over his shoulders. He smiled at his hair, since he was alone and didn't have to be embarrassed by it. He could feel free.

Valentino turned his body back towards the water and took in a breath of fresh air. He dipped his fingers in the water again and swirled them around. His eyes widened when the water began turning an opaque pastel pink. The color traveled all the way up the waterfall, most likely advancing even farther up there. Valentino beamed and settled back on the grass to watch the water's beautiful color change. However, he soon noticed the grass around his hands turning pink as well. The color covered the entire meadow around him. Even the plants turned pink, and he was sure the fish and other creatures had become pink as well. He giggled and then began laughing uncontrollably. He was just so... _happy._

Valentino stood up and skipped around the meadow, basking in the beautiful sunshine. He spun around, rolled in the grass, did cartwheels, and mostly just had a good time. He heard a bird call in the distance and tried to whistle along with its song. Although he couldn't replicate it, he still tried, then laughed when he gave up and just ran around the field again. For his final act of joy, he tried doing a flip. It took him a few tries, but he was finally able to succeed. Although nobody was watching, he bowed.

"Thank you, thank you, everyone!" Valentino announced. He clasped his hands together and did a mock applause for himself, backing up as he did so. However, he didn't realize how close he had gotten to the pond, and ended up tumbling into the water. He screeched as he did so, but laughed when he resurfaced. He pulled himself onto the grass, still giggling.

"Alright, alright, I suppose I deserved that," Valentino admitted. He stood up and pulled off his shoes and socks, since he hated being in squishy wet socks. He held them up and looked for a place to dry them. He found a large, flat rock in the middle of the sunshine and placed them on it. He patted the surface, feeling how warm it was. He looked down at his drenched clothes and tilted his head, wondering what to do with them. Staying in them surely wouldn't dry them faster, and this was becoming uncomfortable. Suddenly, Valentino smirked to himself.

Who gave a fuck about public indecency? He was alone. He was happy. He was _free._

Therefore, Valentino stripped off all his clothes and set them on the rock as well. The cool breeze made him shiver, but this just made him happier. He was completely free now. He danced around on the grass for a little bit, loving how it felt against his bare feet. He then stepped back into the water, swimming through the pond peacefully. The pink water splashing against his skin made him feel as if he were being completely healed. He completely relaxed, feeling absolutely elated. He wished he could be like this forever. Alone and away from judging eyes. Happy, with no care in the world about negativity. Free, so he could do anything he wanted with no consequence.

Valentino swam back to the shore and rested his head on his arms. He basked in the sunshine, still over halfway submerged in the water. The warmth of the sun combined with the cool water made him smile. He felt like he shouldn't be wasting time like this, especially when he was only succeeding in getting his hair wetter, but he didn't care. He closed his eyes, relaxing. He loved this, feeling happy and free without a care in the world. He sighed happily and opened one eye just in time to see a lizard crawl by. He smiled. He loved nature.

Finally, Valentino pulled himself out of the water. He stood up and spun around, his hair twirling around him like ribbons. He laughed - not because it was amusing, but because he was happy. He tried drying out his hair a little more as he walked around, hoping to find something that would be able to dry him off.

"Ay!" he suddenly cried as he stepped on something sharp. He held his foot in pain and looked down at the ground. He crouched to get a better look at what had hurt him.

Just an ordinary stick. One part of it that was sticking up towards Valentino was sharpened to a point. That must have been what had hit him. Valentino shook his head. Good thing he hadn't sat down there. He shivered at the thought of what would happen to him if he had. Instead, he leaned back and checked his foot for any splinters. Thankfully, there weren't any. He smiled and stood back up, still looking for a sort of towel. He checked his clothes over on the rock and clicked his tongue. Still wet.

Valentino moved over to a patch of grass near the rock that felt warm under his skin. He brushed some twigs out of the way with his foot and laid down on the grass, basking in the sunshine. He felt like this would be best to dry him off. It was warm here, after all. It wouldn't be quite as foolproof as the rock drying, but it was all he could get. He got into a comfortable position and closed his eyes, completely relaxing.

***

When Valentino opened his eyes again, he didn't realize he had fallen asleep. He looked up at the sky, noticing that the sun had sunk lower. He felt his skin, noticing it was dry, along with his hair. He sat up, rubbing his eyes. He stretched, making embarrassing noises that he was glad no one else was there to hear. Finally, he stood up and walked over to the rock, checking to see if his clothes were dry. They were, making him sigh. The fun was over.

Valentino reluctantly put his clothes back on. He hesitated before pulling his hair back into its usual style. He wished he could still be free and happy, but so much time had passed already. He couldn't stay here forever. He sighed heavily and went through the door, ending up back in the hallway of the hotel. He closed the door behind him, looking at the beautiful pink world one last time before shutting it out of his mind. A gloomy mood enveloped him and he couldn't help but feel depressed. He wasn't sure if that was just the hotel making him feel that way, or if he really shifted moods that easily. Either way, he hated it.

Valentino shuffled through the hallway, already feeling pain shoot into his feet from walking. He had loved that time to relax earlier, but now it was back to business. His thoughts drifted and suddenly his mind was on his father. He sighed, eyes studying the ground.

"Papá, ¿cómo estás?" Valentino asked. "Espero que estás haciendo bien. Todavía estoy atrapado aquí, pero he hecho amigos. Supongo que es algún tipo de logro..."

Valentino sighed again. "Realmente te extraño. Espero que no le deje abajo..." His voice got choked up, so he had to stop talking. He started thinking about the last conversation with his father. He didn't want to think about it, but his mind always went there. He kept thinking about how his father died - no, was murdered.

He was a good father. He always cared for his children and never did anything wrong. He tried to make time for them despite how busy he was. He cooked the best food, hugged the best hugs, was always loving and never once hurt anyone, even if he was stressed or angry...

And then his coworker decided to shoot him dead.

Valentino covered his mouth and shook his head. He bit his tongue to keep from thinking about it and instead kept his mind on the pain. However, his thoughts berated him, calling him a failure, a coward, he should've done something...

But he couldn't have done anything.

Suddenly, Valentino let out a sharp laugh. "I just find it ironic," he murmured, "that my first words to you were 'te amo', and your last words were the same." He smiled. "I am glad I got to tell you that I love you one last time."

And then, Valentino looked up.

Valentino knew what to expect in the hotel. He knew the hotel's tricks, the creatures, the rooms... He just didn't know when to expect them. He usually wasn't surprised when they happened, just irritated. However, this time...

He wasn't expecting the figure standing in front of him.

"Annabeth?"

Valentino's voice hardly came out as louder than a whisper. He couldn't believe it. It looked just like her, no mistakes or anything. She had the same pink dress, same floppy hat with the green ribbon, same long brown hair and shining green eyes.

This couldn't be an illusion, right? No tricks? No hotel trying to make him feel awful about his past? Was this really her?

"Annabeth..." Valentino's mouth gaped open, then tears pricked his eyes. Annabeth smiled that same smile she always did.

"I haven't seen you for so long, Tino," she said in that same angelic voice she always had. "I'm so glad to see you. Come here. We need to catch up on everything."

"It is...really you..." Valentino smiled hopefully and wiped some tears from his eyes. "I have missed you, so much..." He cried out and ran over to her. She held her arms out, ready to hug him.

But all that happened was that Valentino fell into open air and crashed into the ground. When he looked up, she had disappeared. Valentino stared up in shock for a few moments, not believing that just happened.

And then he collapsed onto the ground and sobbed uncontrollably.

"God damn it!" he screamed.

The hotel had done this to him. It had given him hope, the only person who had cared about him throughout his whole life, and then tore it away from him. He had been so happy a few moments before, and now this godforsaken place had filled endless dread in its place.

"I am s-so stupid," Valentino sobbed. "I should have kn-known...it was n-not her..." He propped himself up on his elbows, held his face in his hands, and cried harder. He could hardly breathe at this point. He trembled, unable to control it.

_You're a pathetic failure. A coward._

Valentino shook his head, trying not to listen to his thoughts.

_You're a crybaby! You need to fucking man up!_

The thoughts turned into a familiar voice. And soon, that turned into memories.

Valentino's mother stood before him, screaming profanities at him. She wasn't drunk this time, making her that much scarier. She knew exactly what she was doing. She knew that she was abusing him.

Valentino cowered in fear, shivering. He didn't know what to do, how to defend himself. He was afraid that if he said anything, he would be hurt.

"What, aren't you going to say something, you whiny brat?" his mother was saying. "You're just going to stand there like some weakling?"

Valentino didn't know what to do. He hadn't done anything and yet here he was, being yelled at by his mother. He wanted to do something, but he didn't want to put himself in danger. He especially didn't want to endanger his siblings. He stayed quiet, trying not to shake too much.

"Why don't you just fucking man up?!" his mother screamed. She raised her fist, about to strike him.

And then Annabeth shielded Valentino and took the hit. Valentino looked up at her in shock. Even his mother was surprised. 

_Why was she here?_ Valentino thought. _Why did she save him?_

"Don't touch him," Annabeth demanded. "If you're going to hurt him, you're going to have to go through me first."

Valentino just cowered on the ground, wanting to stop her.

"So you're trying to be his little savior, huh," Valentino's mother growled. "I always knew my only daughter would betray me, too."

"I'm not betraying you!" Annabeth yelled. "I can't betray you if I was never on your side. Now please, calm down and maybe we can talk through this."

"Stop talking and let me at him!" Valentino's mother shouted back.

"I already told you," Annabeth growled, "you aren't allowed to hurt him unless you hurt me."

Valentino reached out a hand to cling to Annabeth's dress. "Please..." he whispered, tears slipping down his cheeks. "Do not let yourself get hurt for me... I deserve this."

Annabeth had apparently heard this and turned to look at him. "You don't deserve abuse," she told him. "That's why I'm protecting you from it. I'll do anything for my little brother." However, since she was turned to comfort him, she didn't notice their mother lifting up a house decoration to bash Annabeth on the head with.

"Annabeth, look out!" Valentino cried out. Annabeth turned, but she wasn't quick enough to block the shot. She collapsed to the ground. Valentino screamed and crouched over her. "Annabeth! Please tell me you are okay!" He shook her, sobbing now.

He had done this. He had gotten his sister hurt.

And then he looked up.

In that split second, he only saw his mother. She had a decorated vase in her hand. The vase was made of light purple glass with little painted patterns of flowers and vines on it. It was full of beautiful roses in several different colors. It was a gift to their mother for Mother's Day. A heartfelt gift, despite all the abuse. A gift that she had loved.

And the vase shattered on his head. And all he saw was red.

Valentino didn't remember anything after that. He didn't _want_ to remember it, either. He came back to the hotel, his thoughts drifting away on the wind. He was still lying on the floor of the hotel, his tears finally drying.

That event had led to so many issues in his life. His protectiveness of his siblings, his blaming himself for everything, his trust issues, nearly every problem Valentino had was because of his mother.

He just wished he could hate her.

"Annabeth," he choked out. "You just wanted to p-protect me...and I got you h-hurt..." He sniffed. "I hate feeling like this. I hate a-always blaming myself. You know who wired me to b-be that way. You helped us st-stop her..." He wiped his eyes. 

"I am going to get out for you," Valentino declared. "I am going to s-see you again." He slowly tried to stand up, legs shaky and unbalanced. 

"I am going to stop them, I am going to get us all out of here, and I am not going to let another innocent person die because of me," Valentino stated. He finally stood all the way up and started walking through the hallway with clenched fists and his chin turned upward proudly.

"I am going to do everything for you, just like you did everything for me," Valentino finished.

Suddenly, a bloodcurdling scream echoed through the hallway. Valentino stopped in his tracks, going rigid. He knew that scream. He could recognize it from anywhere. 

A second ear-splitting scream that pierced the air only confirmed his thoughts.

Matt.


	24. Suffering the Consequences

Matt never thought something like this would happen. 

He and his friends had just listened to the most heartbreaking story in their lives, and then exited the room to find Valentino completely gone. They had decided to split up to try and find him. Matt and Tom went off to the right while Edd and Tord took the left. Soon, Matt and Tom arrived at an intersection and decided to part ways there. Matt found a single door at the end of the hallway he had gone down and entered an empty room. He explored it, using his mirror to check for any illusions, but didn't find any. When he turned around, however, he saw someone he never expected.

Matt didn't find Valentino, but rather, Valentino found him.

"Valentino!" Matt exclaimed. "I'm so glad to see-" He stopped short when he saw what was in Valentino's hand.

"Whatever is the matter, Matty?" Valentino inquired. He smiled, as if nothing was wrong.

Matt stared at the sharp knife in Valentino's hand, unable to tear his eyes away from it in fear. The knife had grooves along the blade, like a survival knife. It seemed to be completely clean, but Matt couldn't tell if there were stains or not in the dim light. He finally looked back at Valentino's face. 

Something was off.

Valentino's eyes looked a little more dull than normal, and was his hair darker? Matt didn't know if it was just the lighting or if this person wasn't him.

This couldn't be him...could it?

"I asked you a question." Valentino's voice brought Matt back to earth.

"You...You're..." Matt glanced back at the knife. "You h-have a..." Matt kept opening and closing his mouth, unable to form the words.

"Yes?" Valentino advanced towards Matt, making him back up into the wall. The ginger was cornered now. His legs trembled in fear.

"Well?" Valentino's smile was wavering now. "Spit it out."

So Matt did what he was told. He spit right into Valentino's face. Valentino let out a cry and covered his face, trying to wipe it off. Matt ran over to the door, hoping he could make his escape. However, he let out a scream as the knife was suddenly plunged into his shoulder blade. He collapsed from the pain and a weight held him down, knocking the air out of him. The knife was pulled out of him, granting Matt some hope, but he screamed once more when it was stabbed into his other shoulder. Valentino leaned down to whisper into Matt's ear. He chuckled softly, hot breath making Matt shiver - and not in a good way.

"You think you can escape, my little Matty?~" Valentino inquired. He smiled devilishly. "You will never be out of my grasp."

"Get off of me," Matt growled.

"Aww, you think I will actually obey you..." Valentino laughed and grazed his teeth on the back of Matt's neck. Matt then realized he was much stronger than this little punk and easily pushed him off. Pain shot through his shoulder, but he stood up and made his way back to the door. However, the door had disappeared. Matt gasped and turned around, facing Valentino. He looked hurt.

"You are trying to leave already?" Valentino pouted. "We have not even started the fun..."

"Let me out of here!" Matt demanded.

Valentino chuckled and spread his arms out, making knives appear to his sides. He threw his arms forward and the knives flew towards Matt. The ginger screeched and ducked, running over to the far wall. He ran his hands along it, trying to find a secret door. He turned and accidentally rammed the handle of the knife against it, making it dig deeper into his shoulder and making him cry out in pain. Valentino strutted over to him and pulled the knife from him, making Matt once again scream.

"Geez," Valentino remarked, "I have not even gotten this thing where I want it to be and you are already screaming. I cannot wait to hear how loud you will be when I put it..."

Valentino stabbed the knife into Matt's chest.

"Here!" Valentino shouted gleefully.

"Please, stop!" Matt sobbed. "I thought we were friends!"

"Oh, please," Valentino scoffed, digging the knife through Matt's skin. "I was merely using you for my own benefit, and I do not need you anymore." He continued moving the knife along Matt's chest, making a heart-shaped hole in it. Matt could hardly even scream anymore. He just whimpered from the pain, tears streaming down his cheeks and his throat raw. Finally, Valentino pulled the knife from Matt's chest. He held in his head a heart-shaped glob of muscle and skin, pulled straight from Matt's body. The ginger felt bile move up his throat, but he kept it down. Valentino dropped the makeshift heart onto the ground and stomped on it, making blood splatter across the floor. Matt could feel himself slipping away, but the pain kept him conscious.

"Now..." Valentino delved the knife into the hole he had just made. "Let us see how this makes you scream." He grabbed hold of Matt's beating heart, making the ginger whimper. He held the knife up to one of the veins connected to the heart. He sliced through it without warning and Matt screamed as loud as he could muster, hoping that someone would hear him and save him.

"One down," Valentino murmured. He sliced another vein, making Matt scream again. "Two." He kept slicing artery and vein after artery and vein, counting as he did so. Matt felt like his vocal chords were being ripped to shreds with how much he screamed. Finally, Valentino only had a few more arteries and veins left until the heart was completely disconnected.

"Brace yourself," Valentino commented. Matt didn't know what he meant until the knife suddenly cut through all the last few nerves. Matt's eyes dimmed and he collapsed to the ground, dead. Valentino held Matt's still heart in his hand, laughing with a sinister smile on his face.

And then the real Valentino slammed open the door, screaming Matt's name. He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw his illusion, looking back at him with the knife and Matt's heart in hand. Illusion Valentino then disappeared into flower petals, the knife and heart falling to the ground. Valentino stepped fully into the room and felt his knees buckle as he saw Matt's corpse. He fell to the ground, only able to stare. Valentino was grateful that Matt's head was down, making it so that he didn't have to see his lifeless, unblinking eyes. However, he could see a complete hole in his chest where his heart had been taken. Valentino retched, but nothing came up.

Suddenly, something grabbed the back of Valentino's sweater. He yelped as he was dragged away down the hallway. The hand let go and a figure stepped in front of him. Valentino looked up and gasped.

Tord stood in front of him with a smirk on his face. Valentino immediately noticed that Tord looked...darker. His hoodie was a darker red, his usual gray pants looked closer to black, and everything about him was off. Valentino frowned.

"What's the matter, kid?" Tord asked.

"You are not Tord," Valentino answered.

"What do you mean?" Tord laughed. "I'm your friend. Tord?"

Valentino glared at him. "I know who you truly are."

Illusion Tord frowned, then smirked. "You really think you know?"

"I always know," Valentino replied. "You are scared to show your real face."

Illusion Tord tilted his head. "Am I really the scared one here?"

Valentino smirked. "If you were not scared, you would have taken over the world already."

Illusion Tord opened his mouth, then closed it again. He didn't know what to say.

"Now..." Valentino stood up on shaky legs. "I have a question to ask of you. Why?"

"Why what?" Illusion Tord questioned. He looked annoyed.

"You know what I am asking," Valentino growled.

"And you know why," Illusion Tord responded.

Valentino's eyes narrowed. "Making people suffer the same fate that you did is nowhere near a valid reason to tear families apart like this."

Illusion Tord laughed manically. "You really think we do this," he said in between laughs, "for a reason like that?"

Valentino sighed. "It is part of the reason, is it not? However, your main reason...is for power. Though, has that plan not gone awry?"

Illusion Tord stopped laughing. "What do you mean?"

"You kill people for power, yes?" Valentino stared at Illusion Tord, searching for a sign of nervousness on his face. "You do not realize, though, that ghosts are much more powerful than humans. You would know, after all - you are one. All the ghosts you create could easily overpower you."

Illusion Tord stared at him for a few moments, then smiled. He snickered quietly, then his laughter slowly grew louder and more maniacal. Valentino stared at him, confused. Finally, Illusion Tord replied, "Humans are stubborn. You know that more than anyone else here. Ghosts, however, are hopeless. They know what they're up against, and they're afraid to rebel. A human will fight harder when they're scared. A ghost doesn't have that kind of stupidity. They know when to stop fighting. Also, you can't exactly enslave a human being easily. A ghost can be put under mind control."

Valentino's face turned into shock. "Wh-What do you mean?" he stammered.

"Remember when I told you that if you ever told the truth to a living human again, we would destroy this world?" Illusion Tord asked. "I meant...we would turn everyone into ghosts and make them our loyal slaves. They would come to our every beck and call, and we would have all the power in the world. Of course, any who rebel..." Illusion Tord's eyes glowed for a split second. "...will be erased from existence," he finished.

Valentino's mouth gaped open. "Even...even me?" he mumbled.

Illusion Tord chuckled. "We would erase you completely first. We can't have the chance of you trying to rebel against us again."

Valentino frowned. He was silent for a few moments. "What is wrong with telling them the truth?" he finally inquired.

"A stubborn human can get that little idea in their head to rebel," Illusion Tord answered. "If they know the truth, they would become a powerful ghost and try to stop us once and for all. We just can't let that happen. We have dreams, you know."

Valentino thought for a moment, then smirked. "What if...they figured it out on their own?"

Illusion Tord looked surprised. "What?"

"If someone were to, perhaps, lead them along," Valentino began, "then that would not necessarily be telling them outright. They would figure it out on their own and rebel without you ever knowing. Therefore, that would ruin your little plan."

"You mean you're dropping hints, you little bastard?" Illusion Tord hissed.

Valentino clasped his hands together and smiled. "You said yourself that I am a danger to you. That is why you want to kill me."

Illusion Tord scoffed. "You're not a danger at all. You're a pathetic excuse for a human being. A failure."

Valentino's eye twitched in anger and his face contorted into a scowl. He responded, "You believe I am not a danger?" He laughed, as if the very idea was amusing. He opened his eyes again and stared at Illusion Tord. His left eye flashed red-violet. His voice turned cold as he said his next sentence.

"Then let me show you how dangerous I can be, you disgusting maggot."

Valentino ran towards Illusion Tord. The illusion, prepared, held his arm out in the hopes he would catch Valentino on it. However, Valentino ducked at the last second and slid across the floor under his arm, as if he were playing limbo. He stood back up and grinned at Illusion Tord, making a peace sign. The latter growled and threw a punch at Valentino. The brunet merely moved his head to the side to dodge it.

"How slow can you be?" Valentino remarked. Illusion Tord growled again and kept trying to punch the teen. However, no matter how hard he tried, Valentino continued to dodge his attacks. Illusion Tord decided to go for a different tactic and held up his hand, making a sword appear in it. He held the handle with both hands, aiming it at Valentino.

"So you wish to play unfair?" Valentino questioned. He shrugged it off. "No matter. I can handle it."

Illusion Tord let out an angry roar and swung at him. Valentino leaned to the side, dodging his attack. He danced around, making Illusion Tord miss every time. He smiled as he did so, as if amused by the fact that Illusion Tord couldn't hit him.

"I must say," Valentino commented as he continued his "dance", "I am surprised that you have lost all strategy and have now resorted to pure strength."

"Stop dancing around like a ballerina and let me fucking attack you!" Illusion Tord yelled. "This isn't fighting!"

"Fighting is not all offense," Valentino responded. "If I let you win," he continued, dodging another swing, "then this would be an unfair game."

"This is a game to you now?" Illusion Tord sounded disgusted.

"Of course it is." Valentino sounded amused. He smirked as he added, "Because you are a loser."

Illusion Tord's expression went sour. "I'll show you a damn loser!" He took several random swings at the air, hoping one would hit Valentino. The brunet screamed, making Illusion Tord lower his sword in victory. However, Valentino was smiling. It had been a trick. Illusion Tord stood there in quiet surprise, not expecting such a thing. Valentino grabbed him by his hood, staring into his eyes.

"I am not usually a violent person," Valentino whispered. "You know that well. However, I am afraid that I cannot let you hurt them any longer." He raised a fist, ready to punch him. Illusion Tord looked up at him, scared. However, Valentino sighed and lowered his arm, dropping Illusion Tord onto the ground.

"Although I greatly want to hurt you," Valentino continued, "I would be breaking the promise if I did. After all, violence never solves problems." He started walking away. Illusion Tord gently picked up his sword again, then stood up. He swung at Valentino. However, the brunet was expecting it and dodged it, making a show of pulling his leg up as well, although he didn't need to in order to dodge the attack.

"You seem to have forgotten that I expect everything," Valentino remarked.

"And you seem to have forgotten that you have a dick," Illusion Tord retorted, taking a swing for Valentino's now-exposed crotch. The brunet yelped and leapt backwards, falling onto the ground. Illusion Tord aimed the sword at his neck, making Valentino cry out. His expression turned into that of fear, sweat dripping down his face.

"W-We can t-talk about this, y-you know..." Valentino stuttered, backing up with every advancement Illusion Tord made towards him.

"I'm done with you," Illusion Tord said coldly. "I'm getting rid of you."

"Wh-What?" Valentino continued crawling backwards, but stared up at Illusion Tord with a terrified expression.

"You heard me," Illusion Tord hissed. "I'm going to kill you so I can be rid of your existence forever."

Valentino was completely against the wall now. He couldn't go anywhere. All he could do was stare at Illusion Tord with a pleading look in his eyes. He glanced down at his fingers and gently tapped them on the floor. A dull color spread across the floor, nearly invisible even to him. He wanted to smirk, but he had to keep his act up, or else he wouldn't be able to do this in time. He looked back up at Illusion Tord.

"P-Please," he begged, faking a sob.

"You're just going to rebel if I keep you alive," Illusion Tord continued. "You're a danger to our plans. I can't let you live."

"I w-will do anything!" Valentino screamed. With all his fake emotion, he forced himself to cry. He hoped this seemed legitimate as he looked back at the colors. It was almost ready.

"Any last words?" Illusion Tord questioned. He pushed the sword closer, grazing it against Valentino's neck.

Valentino closed his eyes. When he opened his eyes again, his left eye flashed that red-violet color once more. A smile pulled at his lips. He let out a sharp, cold laugh.

"Would it be ironic if those were your last, instead?" Valentino inquired. Illusion Tord stared down at him, confused. He lowered the sword slightly. Valentino tapped his fingers on the ground once more.

The color that had formed across the floor had slowly been moving towards the wall. It now turned into the figure of a human. Despite being a mere shadow, it grabbed Illusion Tord by the hood and threw him into the wall behind him. Illusion Tord crashed against the wall and fell to the ground, the sword disappearing from his hand. Valentino laughed out loud and waved his hand, making the shadow figure disappear. He stood up, letting out a cheer.

"Justice prevails!" Valentino yelled. He laughed again. "I win this time, cunt!" He blew a raspberry at Illusion Tord's collapsed figure, then began doing a little victory dance. "I swear on my heart, my mind, my life, my very soul, that I will get them out of here alive! You will no longer hurt anyone else!" He spun around. "I can do this! I can-"

Suddenly, something squeezed Valentino's chest so hard that he could hardly breathe. He looked down, shocked. A giant shadowy hand was gripping him. It lifted him up off the ground and Valentino struggled in its grasp. He let out a pained cry as it held onto him tighter. He looked over at Illusion Tord. The brunet was looking back at him, scratches across his face. He had a sinister smile and his hand was clenched into a fist.

"I thought you said you expected anything," Illusion Tord said coolly. He uncurled his fists and did a flicking motion with his index finger and thumb. At this command, Valentino flew across the room and crashed into the wall. When he hit the ground, he tried to stand up, but collapsed and slipped away from consciousness.

***

When Valentino woke up, it was completely dark. He held his hands up in front of his face, but even then, could hardly see them. From the way he was sitting, he could tell he was in a confined area. That alone made his heart race and his breathing quicken. He hated small, enclosed spaces. He pushed his hands against every inch of his container, noticing that it was made of metal. However, he could find no way out. He shifted around, panicking now. He noticed a pipe at the other end of the area he was in and put his mouth up to it, calling for help. He did so a few more times, but nothing answered. He sighed and leaned back, hoping to at least get comfortable while he was stuck in here.

Suddenly, Valentino heard a sound. Was that...a match striking against something? Valentino looked around, terrified now. He heard the muffled sound of crackling fire. He knew how easily metal heated. He wondered if he was going to be okay. He took a deep breath and rested his hands on the metal floor. However, he soon yelped and pulled them away. The metal was already burning hot to the touch. He seethed and licked his hands to try and cool them off. He felt his feet and behind getting warmer, thankful that the clothes somewhat protected him. However, it was only a matter of time before they started burning up too. He soon screeched and tried to stand up to avoid the heat forming under him. He banged his head against the top of the space and slammed back down onto the floor, his hands once again touching the burning hot metal.

White-hot pain shot through Valentino's hands. He screamed and shifted his position, shuffling over to the pipe. He yelled and shouted and cried out until his vocal chords were raw and his lungs couldn't take in any more air. The skin on his hands was already peeling off from the burns and bleeding. He banged against the metal walls with his fists, only succeeding in hurting them. He kicked his feet against the floor, trying to shake the heat off of them as well as alert someone. However, this put more weight onto his ass, resulting in it getting closer to the heat and him crying out in pain once more. Tears streamed down his cheeks. He couldn't get out of here. He felt as if he were in an oven.

"Let me out of here!" Valentino begged. "Please! It hurts!" He screamed and cried and did everything he could to try and alert someone. All his attempts were in vain, though. Nobody heard him. Nobody came to rescue him. All he could do was sit in his makeshift oven and slowly be cooked alive.

Meanwhile, Illusion Tord leaned against the wall and smirked to himself. He stood in front of a large bronze statue of a bull. A fire burned under it and smoke came out from the bull's nostrils. The pipe system installed inside of the statue turned Valentino's screams into a distorted sound similar to a bull's angered grunts. Illusion Tord laughed as he heard banging from inside, knowing Valentino couldn't possibly get out. The roars of the bull grew louder, showing that Valentino was desperate and panicking now. He just stood there and chuckled to himself, waiting until it would all finally stop.

*

Tord ran down the hallway. He stopped dead in his tracks when a horrible smell came upon him. Smoke filled the hall at this section and he wondered where it all came from. He stooped low to get through and coughed, hoping smoke inhalation here wouldn't hurt him. Luckily for him, the smoke seemed to be clearing out. He turned a corner and stumbled upon a door that was slightly ajar - the first door he had come upon ever since he and the others had split up. Hope swelled in him. This must be where Valentino was!

Tord hurried into the room with a smile on his face, which quickly turned upside-down when he saw who was really in there. Matt was slumped against the wall, only a knife and heart on the ground to show what he had suffered. Blood poured down from his chest and pooled around him, though it was becoming dry now. Tord sucked in the urge to vomit and stepped out of the room, glad to smell whatever it was that was filling the hallway instead of the rancid smell of blood and death. He advanced through the hallway, turning left and suddenly stopping. He saw some sort of object at the end of the hall and slowly walked up to it.

When Tord reached the object, he gasped. It was a statue of a bull, made entirely of bronze. A smoldering fire lay on the floor under it and the bottom of the statue was entirely black, most likely from the heat. Smoke still emanated from the nostrils, but was nearly gone now. Tord noticed a door on the side of the bull that, considering its design, couldn't be opened from the inside. He took the handle and hesitantly pulled it open.

What he saw next sent chills to his core.

Valentino lay in the statue, completely cooked alive. His skin was bubbled up and peeling off, severely burned and bleeding in some places. His dark hair was singed and curling into wisps at the tips. He was slumped up against the neck of the bull, near a pipe, with his eyes staring unseeing at the top of the statue. One of his hands was curled into a fist, lying on the floor, while the other lay on his chest. His mouth was agape and dried tear stains made lines across his cheeks. He looked as if he had been terrified in his final moments.

The smell had now completely filled Tord's senses. He knew what it was. This was the smell of burning flesh.

It wasn't too wrong to imagine that your friend's flesh would taste pretty good given the circumstances and delicious smell, right?

Tord shook his head to clear it. He couldn't do that. However, he didn't want to just leave the kid stuck in this statue. He looked so...pitiful. But since he also didn't want to touch a corpse, no matter if it was an illusion or not, he decided it was best to leave him in there. He gently closed the door, thinking it best that nobody else try to see what was inside. He turned to his right to leave and gasped.

An illusion of himself stood there with a smirk on his face.

"You...You did this!" Tord yelled. "You bastard!" He ran towards the illusion, ready to fight him or kill him or something, but he turned into butterflies before Tord could even reach him. The insects flew into the ceiling and disappeared. Tord looked around for a few seconds, then sighed. He just wanted to get out of here. Tord shoved his hands into his pockets and walked down the hallway.

"Hey, fucker," a familiar voice called. Tord turned around to see Tom standing there behind him and sighed.

"What do you want?" Tord asked. He happened to glance down at Tom's hands and immediately backed up into the wall. "What the fuck?"

Tom held up the machete in his right hand. "Scared of this, I see," Tom remarked. He chuckled. "Good. I love seeing you so afraid."

Tord glared at Tom. "I had a feeling one day you would turn against me," Tord said, "but never like this."

"Then let's take the surprises up a notch," Tom responded. He shifted his grip on the handle and ran at Tord. The brunet hardly had any time to move out of the way before the machete was driven into the wall beside him.

"You're insane!" Tord screamed, running down the hall.

"I'm just doing the world a huge fucking favor!" Tom shouted, pulling his machete out of the wall and running after him. Tord ran into the wall at the end of the hallway and turned to try and run away. However, as soon as he turned, the machete was driven into his abdomen. He cried out.

"Now I've got you," Tom laughed. He pulled the machete out, dragging some of Tord's intestines along with it. He then pushed it back in to hurt Tord even more. He continued disemboweling Tord with the machete. With every scream of pain from Tord, he just sliced harder. Tord's knees buckled under him and he fell to the ground, his intestines and blood pouring out of him. He grasped at his stomach, trying to stop the pain. He knew he didn't have much time left. He just couldn't believe his own friend, even if he was a rival, had killed him.

However, just before his vision went black, he looked back up at Tom. And he saw the subtle differences. The darker shade to him, that empty look in his eyes...

He was just an illusion.

*

Tom sighed as he wandered around the halls of the hotel. He felt like splitting up was a bad idea, but they could cover more ground that way and make it easier to find Valentino. His feet ached from walking so much and he stopped to rest for a little while. He happened to look up during this moment of relaxation and saw some sort of figure down the hall. He squinted his eyes to get a better look and walked a few paces towards it. He jumped back in shock when he finally saw what was there.

Tord was slumped against the wall, his entrails coiled up on the floor around him. Blood surrounded his corpse. He had a frozen look of shock on his face. An illusion of Tom stood before him with a bloodstained machete. He looked over at Tom and disappeared into a mass of birds. Tom ducked as to not get hurt by all of them and decided it was best to get the hell out of here. He stepped over the intestines strewn about and continued down the hallway, trying to get the image of his dead friend out of his mind. He shook his head and looked up from the floor to see a wall in front of him. He was at a dead end. He sighed and turned around to head back, then stopped.

Edd stood before him with no emotion on his face. He was tightly gripping a spear. He and Tom stared at each other for a few moments before Edd finally said, "So it's come to this." His voice was more sad and monotone than usual. "I've finally cornered you. You're sneaky, you know. But I've finally got you."

Tom took a step back. "You're not Edd," he growled.

Illusion Edd tilted his head. "Am I really?" he asked. He raised the spear in his hand. "Would the real Edd do this?" He suddenly lunged at Tom, but seemingly purposefully rammed the spear into the wall next to Tom's head. Tom's heart raced, but Illusion Edd's arms were on either side of him, so he couldn't escape.

"What do you want from me?" Tom inquired angrily.

Illusion Edd stared down at him with a soulless look in his eyes. "I want you dead," he breathed out. His expression changed from emotionless to a sinister grin and he pulled the spear out of the wall. Before Tom could react, he stabbed the spear into him, making blood splatter everywhere. Tom screamed in pain, but Illusion Edd continued stabbing him over and over. Tom finally collapsed to the ground, unable to stand from the pain of all the wounds. Illusion Edd kept up his work, making holes in Tom with the spear. When he saw Tom's eyes dim, he stopped, satisfied. He dropped the bloodstained spear on the ground and turned, walking away with his hands in his hoodie pockets.

However, he wasn't expecting the real Edd to be standing there with tears in his eyes.

"What..." Edd couldn't even finish his sentence before the tears started streaming. "What d-did you do to him?" Edd choked out.

"What did I do?" Illusion Edd repeated. "I did nothing. You were the one who got him into this mess. After all, _you_ were the one who suggested that you four split up. You did this all for a whiny little faggot who can't do anything right and is just a waste of existence. You do realize that all he can do is hurt you?"

"No, he doesn't," Edd argued, his voice faltering. "He's a f-friend."

Illusion Edd shook his head. "He's a murderer. And he's out to get you."

"No, he isn't!" Edd shouted.

Illusion Edd tilted his head. "Or so you think." He waved his hand and turned into a mass of mayflies, disappearing from there. Edd stared at the spot where he was standing, tears still streaming down his cheeks. He knew Valentino couldn't hurt a fly, but...

With everyone telling him and his friends that Valentino was out to hurt them, he started to have his doubts.

Edd sighed and shoved his hands in his pockets. He turned and walked back down the hallway, finding a door in the middle of it. He entered an empty room and settled down, hoping he could clear his thoughts here. He leaned back and closed his eyes. However, the sound of footsteps alerted him and he opened his eyes again.

Matt stood in front of him, grasping a large mallet. He stared down at Edd with a cold, dead look in his eyes. His blue eyes didn't shine like usual. His usually joyful demeanor had changed into a sinister one. Edd looked up at him, tears threatening to spill from his eyes again. Adrenaline shot through his body and he could hear his heart pounding in his ears. However, he was frozen in fear. He couldn't do anything.

"P-Please," Edd whispered. "Don't hurt me."

Despite Edd's plead, Illusion Matt raised the mallet and struck down. Edd could only look on in shock as the mallet came barreling towards him and crushed his head completely. All that was left was a stump of a neck and brains splattered across the wall. Illusion Matt looked at the damage in silence, then turned and started to walk out of the room. He stopped in the middle and held onto his mallet like a cane, leaning on it to keep his balance. He turned his head up to the ceiling and sighed.

"You know," he muttered, "I always wondered why they never bothered to run away."

And then he disappeared into a mass of dragonflies.


	25. Making Mistakes

Edd's eyes shot open and he held his head in pain. The sudden burst of light hurt his eyes and he rubbed them to get the pain away. He had woken up due to a large crash in the room. He finally got his eyes adjusted to the light and looked to see the source of the crash.

Valentino was lying halfway on the ground, holding his head in pain. While his chest and everything above was on the floor, the rest of his body was leaning against the hotel desk and his legs were halfway over it. He groaned, letting out a hiss in the process.

"What...happened?" Edd asked, his head still throbbing.

Valentino looked over at him. "I fell," he said simply.

"Well, yeah, I can tell that much," Edd replied, studying Valentino's position, "but how'd that even happen? And why does my head hurt so much?" He had more questions to ask, but a sharp pain went through him and he seethed.

"I am sorry for the pain they put you through," Valentino mumbled. He still lay on the ground, looking uncomfortable but not wanting to get up. He shivered slightly.

"Are you cold?" Tom inquired. Edd shifted to look over at him. He was clutching his stomach in pain.

Oh. Edd remembered now. He had seen Tord with his intestines strewn about and Tom with stab marks all over him, and then he himself had gotten his head crushed. However, he didn't know what had happened to Matt and Valentino. By the looks of Valentino shivering, he guessed hypothermia.

Valentino shook his head. "I am...not cold at all," he responded between heavy breaths. "I am actually...quite hot." He propped himself up on his elbows. "How am I supposed to get up?" he questioned, almost to himself.

"Do you need help?" Tord asked. It seemed like all of them were waking up.

"I am fine," Valentino stated, pulling himself along the ground to try and get his legs off of the desk. He gave up about halfway through, collapsing completely. He let out a whine and said something incomprehensible.

"I'm...alive?" Matt's voice cut through. He put his fingers to his neck to check for a pulse. "But...I thought..."

"They were illusions, Matt," Tom said. "Both the deaths and whoever killed you."

Matt looked down for a minute and cried out, "My heart hurts!" He clutched his chest in pain and let out a whimper.

"Tell me about it," Valentino muttered. He was still lying on the ground, the only sign of life from him being his back rising and falling unsteadily. His legs were still propped against the desk.

"You really need help," Edd stated, getting up. He sucked in a breath from the sudden pain and stepped over to Valentino, grabbing his wrists to pull him up. However, Valentino let out a cry of pain.

"Don't grab so tightly!" Valentino demanded. His whole body trembled harder. Edd loosened his grip a little and pulled the brunet along the ground to get his legs in a position to where he could stand up, then tried to pull him into a standing position. However, Valentino didn't move his legs.

"Uh, Valentino." Edd sounded impatient. "You have to help me if you want to stand up."

"Pins and needles," was all Valentino responded with. He tried moving his leg but let out a hiss of pain and moved it back. "It hurts, it hurts..." His voice was getting high-pitched and he was breathing harder. He seemed to really be in pain.

"Well, of course they're asleep," Edd stated. "You had them up like that and gravity did its work on your blood. Shake them around, it'll go away."

"Edd, at least be concerned for the kid," Tom scolded. "Be gentle with him, can't you see he's in pain? He's fragile, especially with those scars of his."

"Well, then." Edd stepped away from Valentino and put his hands on his hips. "Why don't you get him up, then, since you're so worried about him?"

"Fine." Tom got up and moved over to Valentino's collapsed figure. "Instead of you having to get yourself up, we'll try something else." He bent over and grabbed under Valentino's shoulders to hoist him up. However, when he picked him up, he let out a screech and nearly fell over. In the process, he dropped Valentino, who let out a groan when he hit the ground.

"Wow, so gentle," Edd scoffed.

"Jesus tapdancing Christ!" Tom exclaimed. "How much do you weigh? You feel like lead!"

Valentino whimpered. "I'm sorry for being so fat..."

Tom sighed. "Matt, get over here and help me lift him up."

Matt stood up and walked over. He grabbed Valentino and lifted him up with ease. He then leaned him up against the hotel desk, letting go of him there. However, Valentino nearly collapsed again. Matt quickly caught him, but nearly let go of him as he cried out, "You're burning up!"

"What, does he have a fever?" Tord asked. He had also stood up and had joined Edd and Tom.

"No, he feels like fire!" Matt answered, concern in his voice. He put the back of his hand up to Valentino's forehead and drew it back quickly. "What's going on with you?!"

"I don't like it when you panic!" Valentino shouted. He shook his head violently, then let out a high-pitched screech and grabbed it in pain.

"Well, it makes sense," Tord said. "After all, he was cooked alive for his death."

Everyone looked at Tord in shock, save for Valentino.

"C-Cooked alive?" Edd stammered.

"That's brutal," Tom remarked.

Matt shook his head and turned back to Valentino. "You poor thing..." he mumbled.

"Well, just r-remember yourself," Valentino argued, his words slurring together. "You got your h-heart ripped out. That is w-worse than anything I could e-ever imagine." He suddenly grasped onto Matt's jacket tightly and leaned over, violently retching. Thankfully for Matt, nothing came up. The brunet trembled when it was over, unable to look up.

"This is really bad," Matt said. He turned to the others. "What do we do?"

"I don't know," Tord replied. "I haven't seen anything like this happen before."

"You n-needn't worry about me," Valentino breathed out. His voice was hardly more than a whisper.

"Don't be silly!" Matt turned back to Valentino and forced his head up to look at him. "Of course we should worry about you. You're our friend!"

A million thoughts of self-loathing ran through Valentino's head, but he didn't have the voice to speak them out. He just silently nodded, looking back down at the floor. Matt frowned.

"We should really get going," Edd broke the silence. "We have exploring to do."

"No," Matt said. "Valentino's hurt. We should stay with him."

"We can take him with us," Tord reminded them.

Valentino nodded. "I want to st-stay with you," he stuttered. "I want to p-protect you."

"You're in no condition to walk around so much," Tom argued.

"Yes, I am." Valentino let go of Matt, who stepped out of his way. Valentino took a few shaking steps forward, then looked at Tom for approval. "See? I can-" Suddenly, he hunched over and retched again. This time, a thick clear liquid, almost like saliva, came up. Despite Tom, Edd, and Tord standing fairly far away, they stepped back. Matt took an even larger step back, hoping nothing splattered on him. Valentino lurched forward and started to collapse. Matt leapt over to catch him, stepping away from the puddle of clear liquid on the floor. Valentino gulped, trying to catch his breath.

"You're clearly not ready to do anything for a while," Tom declared.

"Okay," Valentino panted. "Okay. B-But I still need...to be there for you. To...protect you."

"You can't really protect us in a state like that," Edd snorted.

Valentino shot his head up, looking angry. His hair almost seemed to bristle up like a cat's. "I can," he yelled, "and I will protect you!" He stepped forward, trying to get out of Matt's grasp. "I don't care," Valentino continued, "what's going on, who's hurting you, or what's wrong with me. I will do anything in my power to get you all out of here!" His knees buckled under him and he collapsed, almost bringing Matt down with him. "Even if it means...endangering myself," Valentino said in between breaths, "I will do...everything for you. That means...always protecting you...even like this." He let out a choking noise and covered his mouth, trying not to retch once more.

Everyone was stunned into silence for several moments. Finally, Matt sighed and crouched down next to Valentino. He patted the brunet's shoulder.

"Look," he began. "I know you want to help us. I know you want to do so much for us, and that's okay. But you're not good right now. You can't do anything for us in the state that you're in. Therefore, you have to stay here and rest. And to make sure that you don't try to follow us secretly..." Matt picked Valentino up again and walked over to the hotel desk, dumping him over the side of it.

"Ah, you're putting him in gay baby jail," Tord remarked.

Matt glared at him. "No. I'm keeping him here because this thing is too tall for him to get over without standing up. Until he's strong enough, he can't follow us." Matt turned back to Valentino, who was sitting up on the floor and looking at Matt angrily. He had tears forming in his eyes.

"I want to come with you," Valentino said.

"You can't," Matt replied simply. "Until you feel better, we're not taking you."

Valentino crossed his arms and turned away from Matt. The tears slid down his cheeks, though only Valentino knew about it. Matt leaned over and patted his hair as a comfort.

"You need to get some rest," Matt told him. "We'll be back for you later, if you don't come for us first." He stepped away from the desk and went to the others.

"Wait!" Valentino called out as he realized what they were doing. "You are not leaving me here alone, are you?!" He sounded panicked.

"We are." Tord's voice sounded cold.

Valentino went silent for a few moments, then let out a sob. "You are...going to abandon me?" He hiccuped. "Don't leave me here! Please!"

"Let's just go," Edd whispered. He headed towards the hallway, the others following suit. Tom mumbled an apology as he walked out.

"Please come back!" Valentino yelled. "I don't want to be alone! I want you here with me, o-or me to be with you! What if something happens to you?! I have to protect you! Please!" He screamed and thrashed against the desk, but his efforts were in vain.

Edd, Tom, Matt, and Tord continued down the hallway, listening to the screams and cries slowly die down. Tord had remarked that Valentino would tire himself out eventually, but it was only because of distance that they couldn't hear him anymore.

"I'm so confused about this hotel," Edd sighed. "I know that the Watcher dude or whatever told us everything, but...there's parts of that story I just don't get."

Edd went over the story again in his mind. Randolph had told them that he was the one who trapped them all in the hotel. He said that he and his family were the very first ones to enter the hotel and became trapped, therefore killing themselves. After that, the official curse began, and the Watchers couldn't do anything to stop it. However, something seemed...off about the story to Edd.

"What's so confusing about it?" Tord inquired, bringing Edd out of his thoughts.

"Well, for example..." Edd thought for a moment. "Randolph told us that he and his family came here in like, the mid-1900s, right? But Valentino said this place hasn't been used since the 1800s."

"What's your point?" Tom asked him.

"My point is," Edd continued, "the Watcher guy said his family were the first people to ever come here and kill themselves, and therefore the first people to start the curse. But if the first people here came in the 1900s, then what happened to that whole 1800s story Valentino told us about?"

"You're right," Tord replied. "That doesn't add up. One of them must be lying."

"There's other stuff that bothered me, too," Edd added. "If they really were the first people to come to this hotel, how did Valentino and his brothers know about the hotel so early on?"

"What?" Tom turned to Edd, confused.

"Think about it. When we first got here, what was the first thing they told us?"

"That we're stuck here forever," Matt answered.

"Right. But if the Watchers were supposedly the ones who started this curse of trapping everyone, how did they already know that we would be trapped? They couldn't have heard that story, right?"

"They said it was on the forums," Matt chimed in.

"We couldn't get on the hotel's website," Tom pointed out. "They most likely couldn't have gotten on it, either. And even if they had, why would they wanna go there with the threat of being trapped?"

"Uh...scare factor points?" Matt shrugged and Tom groaned.

"There's other things that don't make sense, either," Tord added. "The Watchers killed themselves because they were trapped here, right? But how did they get trapped, if they started all the trapping?"

Edd gaped at him. "I never thought about that," he mumbled.

"And why is Valentino so scared of Randolph or the story he told or whatever it was that made him act so weird and run away?" Tom continued. "And how the hell does he know so much about this place and so many people here? He's with us ninety percent of the time! How much does he know and where does he get the information?"

Everyone looked at each other with troubled looks on their faces. Several questions bounced around their heads, one to the other, but none of them had any answers. They couldn't voice them all, or they'd confuse themselves. They decided to just stick to walking down the hallway. However, the tense silence eventually became too much for them.

"He's obsessed with us," Tord muttered. "It's like he needs us to survive or something. Did you see his reaction when we left him alone there? Something's up with him..."

"You shouldn't really judge him for something like that," Tom argued. "He might have separation anxiety or something. With all the shit he's supposedly gone through, I wouldn't be surprised if it fucked up his mind for eternity."

"Still, he overreacts," Tord retorted. "And he's keeping secrets or something. He has an entire bookshelf of diaries here, and he knows something we don't, and there's so much that makes him just...weird. I don't feel safe here knowing he's out there."

Matt sighed. "I don't trust him, either."

Everyone turned to look at him, surprised. Edd exclaimed, "Really? You seemed like the one that trusted him most."

Matt shook his head. "Ever since that incident where we all split up after Tord yelled at him, I've been really wary of him. You know how he mumbled a bunch of stuff when he went all weird? He...He said something that makes me scared for us."

"Well, spit it out!" Tom yelled. "What'd he say?"

Matt hesitated, looking down at the ground. He stopped walking and turned to the group. His next words made everyone's blood run cold.

"He said he killed someone."

"Wh-What?" Tom was the first one to speak out. "No, he couldn't..."

"He's so weak!" Tord interuppted. "You really think he killed someone?"

"Maybe you heard it wrong?" Edd suggested.

"I heard what I heard," Matt said. "He said he killed _her_. I don't know who this her is, but I feel like it may be that Annabeth girl he told me about. Maybe I'm wrong, but I still feel uneasy around him. He doesn't even notice that I know."

"Holy shit," Tom remarked.

"Not to mention," Matt continued, "in that last round of deaths we just woke up from, his illusion was the one that killed me. I can't help but feel like that's supposed to foreshadow something."

"Wait," Tord interjected. "If you're so scared of him, then why do you get so close to him? You act like you care for him more than anything."

"That's the only way I can figure out secrets, right?" Matt looked at Tord with a cold expression. "I have to make him believe someone trusts him, so he can trust me back. That way, he can tell me the secrets we need to figure out. I can also get close enough to him to tell if something's off."

"You...made a plan like that?" Tom seemed dumbfounded.

"I'm smarter than you think," Matt replied. "But just so you know, I wouldn't suggest all of us using the plan at once. He'll probably suspect us then. And this doesn't mean that I'm completely heartless. I still care about him, you know? I don't like seeing him hurt or anything."

"We really shouldn't talk about him behind his back like this," Edd mumbled.

"Oh, feel free to talk about him all you want," a voice responded. "After all, we've all met him."

The group turned around immediately, seeing a figure that only Edd recognized. It was the girl Edd had met at the very beginning, when he had opened his first door here. She still wore all that red clothing, but it was tattered now. Her hair was disheveled and she had only bloody eye sockets. She had scratches along her skin, along with bleeding holes in her hands. She reached a hand up to twist a lock of hair around her finger.

"Who are you?" Tom asked.

"And what do you mean by we've all met him?" Tord inquired.

The girl sighed. "Just call me Holler," she answered. She started walking down the hallway, pushing past the four.

"Hey, you didn't answer my question!" Tord yelled, running after her.

"Come with me and I'll show you," Holler told him. Everyone followed her down the hall as she turned left and entered into a room. Five other people sat at the back of the room. Edd, Tom, Matt, and Tord gasped upon seeing them.

"Hey, I know you!" Matt exclaimed. "You're the singing boy and the bunny girl! Only..." He frowned. "You're, um..."

The girl sitting in front of him had severe burns across her body. Her skin was nearly completely red, as if she had been sunburned, and she had scars as well. Her eyes were an unnaturally light blue and had no pupils, making her appear blind. Her hair was singed at the tips and curly there as well. Next to her sat the boy, whose skin was tinted blue. He looked normal enough, though his hair and clothes were dripping wet and leaving a puddle where he sat. However, he had no eyes - there were only sockets full of water that constantly poured down in tears. His mouth was also gaping open and full of water. He trembled and pulled at his hair, trying to dry it, but his attempts were in vain.

Matt was only able to finish his sentence with, "Disfigured."

"Cursed," Holler corrected. "We're all cursed with these horrid appearances, thanks to this hotel. Or should I say, thanks to Valentino."

"How did Valentino do this to you?" Edd questioned.

"Hey, wait," Tord cut in. "You don't look cursed to me." He pointed at a girl seated to the burned girl's left. She looked like the wolf-girl he had seen from earlier, though she had no ears nor tail anymore. Her hair covered her eyes and she looked emotionless. Her sleeves only reached to her elbows and she wore a tight skirt that went down to her knees. Her skin was also unnaturally pale, but other than that she looked normal.

"I am cursed," she said in a small voice. "I just hide it."

"How so?" Tord asked.

She moved her head up to stare at him, though Tord didn't even know if she was looking at him since her eyes were covered. "Do you really want to see?" she mumbled.

The group nodded, though some hesitantly.

The girl sighed and moved her fingers up to her hair. She parted her bangs, revealing eight eyes dotted around her forehead. They were all completely black and stared into the group, chilling them to the bone. Edd shook, grabbing onto the closest person next to him (who happened to be Tom) and holding on tightly. The girl put her hair back into place and did a jazz hands gesture.

"There's more, if you still aren't convinced," she continued. She grabbed the hem of her shirt. Tord bounced up and down, nodding. Edd screeched and turned around, covering his eyes for good measure. Tom and Matt looked at each other and back at the girl, hesitantly nodding. The girl pulled up her shirt to the bottom of her chest, revealing a strange formation on her stomach. It was all completely brown scales with twitching legs along the sides. In the middle was a mouth similar to a sea urchin's, though it ran across her stomach like an incision. Tord shrunk back upon seeing it, scared. Tom's eyes went white and Matt staggered backwards, frightened as well. The girl dropped her shirt down and smoothed it.

"Now you see," Holler explained. "We're all cursed."

"But..." Edd turned to Holler. "What does Valentino have to do with it?"

"He promised us we would all get out of here," the girl with burns elaborated. "But he lied. We all died. Oh, boy, that rhymed." She laughed monotonously. "My name's Ashley, by the way. I probably should've mentioned that earlier."

"Hey!" a man in the back corner next to the other boy shouted. He had scars all along his skin, looking as if they were made by human nails. His hair was extremely curly and his skin was mostly dark, but had patches of white along it. "You smell like humans," he growled.

"I wouldn't know, I can't smell anything anymore," Ashley remarked. "Man, I'm weird. Can't see, can't smell, can't taste, can't touch... At least I can still hear. And talk. I talk too much. I'll talk your ears off."

"Shut up!" the man yelled at her. "I don't like humans being around us! They'll just hurt us, like she hurt me!" He pointed to Holler.

"You attacked me first," Holler replied. "Now be quiet, Sylvester. I'm trying to talk to these guys."

Sylvester grumbled, but didn't say anything more. Holler turned back to Edd, Tom, Matt, and Tord.

"So," she began, "you wanted to know how Valentino cursed us."

"He led us into here," the final girl, seated by Holler, lisped. She wore lacy clothes and had long fingernails that were sharpened to a point. Her hair was disheveled and her eyes were dark, nearly black. When she talked, one could see her sharp teeth and forked tongue. She also had some sort of string connecting her lips together, making it harder for her to talk. "He doomed us, just like he doomed you," she continued. "That is how he cursed us."

"How does this whole cursing thing work?" Tom questioned.

"Well, when someone is murdered here," Holler began, "whether it be by their own hand or another's, they become a ghost, and then they are trapped here forever. Most of the time, they get to choose what they look like then. Sometimes, however, they are cursed into a certain appearance. That is what happened to us."

"And you're saying Valentino somehow did that to you?" Tom sounded skeptical.

Holler nodded. "After all, he led us in here. This is the place where we were either killed or committed suicide, then were cursed forever. He is to blame."

Tord laughed. "You did all that yourselves. You could've just...not died."

The boy sitting next to Ashley let out a gurgling sound. It seemed that because of all the water in his mouth, he couldn't talk. He tried to swallow and attempted to talk again, but it proved fruitless. Holler turned to the boy.

"Sylvester, translate," she commanded.

"Why do I have to?" Sylvester asked.

"Because your ears are the only ones who can understand what the hell he's trying to say, thanks to this curse," Holler answered. "Now tell us what he's saying."

Sylvester sighed and grabbed the boy's hand. "Calm down, River," he said. "What do you want to say?" River gurgled more and Sylvester nodded, then turned to Holler. "He said that some of us couldn't help it." Sylvester looked to River for confirmation, who smiled and nodded. He gurgled some more and Sylvester mumbled something, turning away. He looked flustered.

The girl with the spider eyes twisted her hands together. "He's right," she said. "River was drowned here. He didn't want to die. But someone killed him in their own insanity. The same could happen to you four."

Holler nodded. "Sylvester and I killed each other. We didn't have the right state of mind then. We didn't know what to do, so we acted in aggression."

Ashley suddenly burst out, "I lit myself on fire. Oh, that's off-topic. Sorry. I just wanted to have some purpose in this conversation."

The girl with the spider features added, "I let a spider bite me. A brown recluse. That's why I'm called Arachne."

Edd, Tom, Matt, and Tord turned their heads to the last girl. She held onto the hem of her dress tightly, averting her eyes.

Holler quickly said, "Don't ask Lacey what happened to her. She doesn't like talking about it."

The boys nodded and tried to think of something else to talk about. Finally, Matt said, "So, how does this place decide who's cursed and who's not? And is it always based on how you died?"

Holler glanced at him. Worry filled her expression. She turned to the others, who looked equally nervous. River gurgled quietly, covering his face with his hands. Sylvester wrapped an arm around him, whispering something to him. Holler snapped her fingers to get Sylvester's attention and mouthed something, to which he muttered, "He said they cursed us all."

"Who?" Edd asked.

All of the cursed creatures glanced at each other once again. Holler sighed. Lacey pulled at her hair. Arachne balled her hands into fists and then unclenched them again. Ashley rubbed her arms as if she were cold. River rubbed at his eyes, tears still flowing from them. Even Sylvester averted his gaze.

Finally, Ashley blurted out, "The mastermind."

"Ashley!" everyone but Edd, Tom, Matt, and Tord shouted in unison.

"I'm sorry!" Ashley cried. "I couldn't handle the tension!"

"Who's the mastermind?" Edd said.

Arachne clapped her hands over Ashley's mouth before she could say anything. Holler yelled, "We don't know anything about him! I mean, them! Them!"

"Holler..." Sylvester growled, looking angry.

"So are there multiple masterminds or...?" Matt didn't know how to finish his sentence.

"We don't know," Lacey answered. "We call it a 'them' because we don't know their gender or how many there are. All we know is that they began the curse behind this hotel and they ruined us all."

"So does that mean The Watchers really did start all this?" Matt cried.

Everyone looked at each other and burst out laughing. Matt mouthed, "What did I do?" to Tom, who shrugged. Even Edd and Tord looked confused. Finally, Holler stopped laughing enough to reply, "No, they're not related to the curse of the hotel at all. They're just here, like all of us."

Matt glanced at the others. "They really did lie..." he mumbled. Edd nodded, looking upset.

"Well, you four, it was nice meeting you again," Holler said. "I think it's time you went out and explored more, though. Go on."

The four nodded and waved goodbye to them, then exited the room. Edd slumped against the door, sighing, "I'm so done with everything here." 

Tord snorted, "You can say that again."

"I'm so done with everything here," Edd repeated.

"You can say-"

"Don't," Tom cut in. "That's more annoying than not knowing what the hell is going on with this place and Valentino and all that shit. And that's pretty damn frustrating."

"Maybe we'll just go over what we know so far?" Matt suggested. "That might help reveal some clues."

"That _would_ be a good idea," Tom commented, "if it weren't for the fact that we hardly know anything! All we know is that there's some sort of mastermind behind this whole hotel curse thing. We don't know who they are, if there's more than one, their gender, whatever. We know nothing."

Edd sighed again and just started walking. The others immediately followed him, staying silent. They continued down the hallway, checking a few doors as they went along. They were hoping for more exploration, but all they got was empty rooms and confusion. Matt sighed as Edd reached out to open another door.

"I just want to know what's-" Matt cut himself off as Edd opened the door. What met them was a huge room that glowed a bright red-orange. At the back of the room, hanging from the ceiling, was a giant solar system. It swayed a bit, the spheres slowly orbiting around one another. Even the planets themselves turned, the rings around a few of them circling around like hula hoops. The rest of the room had little platforms coming out of the wall like stairs, all shaped like stars. Some had bookshelves, others had gym equipment, and even more either held miscellaneous items or were empty.

"Going...on..." Matt finished. He and the other three stepped into the room, taking in the glorious sights. Tord rushed over to a platform that had a bookshelf, jumping onto it and checking out the books there.

"I didn't take you to be much of a reader, Tord," Tom remarked.

"I'm not," Tord stated, sifting through the books. "I just want to find out more about this hotel. Plus, there might be stuff about engineering in here. Ah, here we go!" He grabbed a book and opened it, searching through the pages. Suddenly, however, a clunk of metal sounded from behind him. He turned, as did the other three. A weight that hadn't been there before was now lying on the ground. They stared at it. Matt tried to read what was on it, but he didn't recognize the measurements.

"Don't be so hasty, kid!" a voice shouted. The four looked up to see a familiar redheaded man sitting on a platform. He stepped down and walked towards them. "Come on, sit down, get comfortable, have a drink!"

"What does LB mean?" Matt immediately asked.

Mars tilted his head. "Huh? Oh, you probably mean this." He picked up the fallen weight from the ground with ease. "It's short for pound."

The four looked at him with unease. They couldn't help but notice how tall Mars was, standing in front of them like this. Even Matt was shorter than him, albeit only slightly.

"That...isn't currency," Edd stated.

Mars laughed, dropping the weight back down on the ground. "Oh, right, I forgot you were British. Pounds are a measurement of weight in America."

Edd, Tom, Matt, and Tord looked at each other for a moment. "Why do you use American measurements?" Tom finally questioned.

"Because I used to live in America," Mars said nonchalantly. "And then right after Valentino was born, my mother decided she 'wanted to live closer to relatives' and we moved here. Speaking of Valentino, the hell'd you do to him?"

"Wh-What are you talking about?" Edd stammered, hoping Mars wouldn't hurt them for abandoning Valentino.

"We found him in the lobby, shivering in the corner and spitting up whatever-the-fuck," Mars explained. "He was crying really hard and could hardly get a word out, let alone even walk. He was all kinds of messed up. Did you do something to him or...?"

"Nope!" Matt exclaimed. "Nope, nuh uh, haven't seen him all day!"

Edd checked his phone's calendar app to make sure. "Yep, it's January twenty-fourth. We haven't seen him since...yesterday."

Mars looked at them blankly. He could tell they were lying, but he just sighed and didn't talk about it any further. Instead, he smiled and clasped his hands together. "Well, I might as well show some hos...hopis...hoptis... I'll get you guys something to eat and drink. Anything you guys prefer or does it not matter?"

"I want Cola!" Edd shouted.

"I'd like anything that can get me so drunk I fall out of this reality and wake up back safe in my bed again," Tom said.

"I like milkshakes," Matt stated quietly. He looked nervous.

"I don't really care, as long as the food has meat in it," Tord told Mars. "So don't give me any vegetarian shit."

Mars laughed. "Alright, alright, I'll get all that for you," he said. "Be right back." He disappeared into the back of the room, where a blue curtain separated the main part from what they assumed to be some sort of kitchen. There was another curtain on the other side, but none of them knew where it led to. The group hadn't noticed before, but there was a seating area just below the drifting solar system. It consisted of a large table in the middle over a light green rug, with several couches and chairs surrounding it. Tom jumped onto a loveseat on one side of the table. Tord settled into a chair on one side of the loveseat, while Edd sat in a chair on the opposing side. Matt sat next to Tom, wringing his hands together nervously.

Tord suddenly laughed to himself. He bounced in his seat with glee and held up the book he had gotten from the bookshelf earlier. "I think this should have some answers for us," he remarked. "It's some sort of book on curses." He skimmed through the pages. "Huh. It's basically just reiterating what those guys told us earlier..."

Edd stopped paying attention to his speech, holding his head and looking up at the ceiling. Everything still hurt for him. He wondered if the others were going through the same thing. He closed his eyes, trying to make the pain go away. However, the bright colors of the room leaked through his eyelids. He opened his eyes, hoping the pain would melt away soon, but gasped.

In the solar system on the ceiling, there were figures in the planets. They banged on the walls of the spheres, crying out. They were mouthing out silent screams and pleas for help. Edd stared at them, wondering if this was a hallucination or not. However, an angry shout of Edd's name brought him back to reality.

"Huh?" Edd groaned. Tord glanced at him, an eyebrow cocked in confusion.

"I said," Tord began in a frustrated tone, "we can use mirrors to stop curses. Maybe we can help those guys if we ever see them again."

"Oh, that'd be nice," Edd remarked, still confused at the sight of whoever was in the planets. He looked back up at the ceiling and sighed, muttering, "Should we really be trusting Mars with food? He might poison it..."

"You should always trust hot people," Tord advised.

"And you say you're not gay," Tom snorted.

"I don't have to be gay to appreciate a man's beauty, okay?" Tord retorted. "Girls call each other pretty all the time but nooo, it's only gay when guys do it." He scoffed. "Society."

"I'm still the most beautiful, right?" Matt fretted. He pulled out his mirror and checked over his face. "Is there something wrong with me? Has my handsomeness worn away?"

Tord mumbled under his breath, "Oh, Valentino sure thinks you're handsome."

Finally, Mars appeared with a tray of food and drinks. "I'm back!" he exclaimed. He hurried over and set the tray on the table. "I just made you guys sandwiches and some snacks, since I don't know exactly what you like. There's chips, cheese and crackers, fruits, drinks, whatever you like."

"Eh...where are the chips?" Tom inquired. "All I see is crisps."

Mars's smile wavered. "Right. American terms. Those are, uh, crisps, according to you. They're chips to us."

"Eh." Tom shrugged. "At least you got me alcohol." He picked up the bottle and started shuffling around to find his flask when he glanced at the bottle again, doing a double-take. "Hey, how'd you know I like vodka? Smirnoff, no less."

"Just a hunch," Mars replied. He settled into a chair on the opposite side of the table, facing everyone else. "I gave everyone a respective sandwich, so just pick up the one in front of you and it should be yours. Tord's has a bunch of different meats, Matt's is the one with no crusts, Tom's has tuna, and Edd's has all those toppings. I made one for myself, too." He went ahead and grabbed his own.

Matt beamed and grabbed his sandwich. "How'd you know I don't like crusts?" he asked.

Mars smiled and shrugged. "Just a lucky guess," he remarked.

"I haven't eaten real food since I've gotten here," Edd pointed out. He hesitantly picked up the sandwich and took a bite. His eyes widened. "Holy shit," he said, his mouth still full. "Can you, like..." He swallowed. "Make sandwiches for me for the rest of my life?"

Mars laughed. "That's a bit much to ask," he remarked. He took a bite of his sandwich, using that as an excuse not to talk to them any further.

Edd happily continued eating his sandwich, taking sips of his Cola every now and then as well. Tom looked surprised as he ate, as if he didn't expect the food to be good. Matt had a smile plastered on his face as he sipped on his milk, completely forgetting that he had a sandwich and other snacks to munch on. Tord took this opportunity to ravage through the snacks, pouring as much chips as he could on his plate next to his sandwich to "claim" them.

"So," Tom began, breaking the pleasant silence, "how's Valentino?"

"I have no idea," Mars replied, taking a sip of something the others couldn't see. "I haven't seen him since we got him from the lobby. We just put him in his room to rest and I guess he stayed there."

"His room?" Tom sounded both confused and intrigued.

"We have little respective rooms here," Mars explained. "The hotel sometimes makes these little specific rooms to suit a person's needs, as long as you're here for a while. So far I've only seen me and my bros get a room, but who knows, maybe you'll get ones soon. It's pretty nice."

"I'm guessing you're into astronomy, then," Tord commented, gesturing to the planets above them.

"Hell yeah dude!" Mars exclaimed. "Space is damn cool. There's still so much to discover about it and hell it could be endless for all we know. There could be new planets we could live on someday, or other life out there with seven arms and two heads and whatever the hell else! It's awesome. I also like engineering stuff, like robots and shit."

Tord gaped. "You are officially my favorite person," he said.

Mars laughed. "I haven't heard that in a long time," he responded. "Not since, what, high school?"

"What happened in high school?" Edd asked.

"I was kinda idolized by a lot of people," Mars elaborated. "I was just this big, tough guy who ate healthy and could do alright in school. I don't really know why, but everyone just kinda liked me for that. I helped some people with workouts or diets, though. I guess that helped spread the word around."

"Yeah, Valentino talked about that for a bit," Matt chimed in. "He said you were almost always in the gym."

Mars cracked up. "Yeah, I remember I would try leaving and someone would pull me back in, hoping I could be their training instructor!"

"That must've been a while ago, though," Matt added. "Valentino said you're like...thirteen years older than him."

Mars cocked an eyebrow. "I'm surprised he even talked about me," he muttered. "But yeah, he was a late little tyke. He was..." Mars leaned in. "Not supposed to happen, if you catch my drift." He leaned back into his chair, getting comfortable. "So he was several years younger than us because of that. I'm kinda thankful for it, though. Means I get to remember hanging around my younger brother when he was still about the size of that Smirnoff bottle Tom's got." He laughed, snorting a bit in the process. He immediately stopped laughing when it happened and his face flushed. "Ignore that," he mumbled, averting his gaze.

The boys nodded and continued eating. Matt grabbed an orange from a bowl and struggled to peel it. Mars shook his head and held out his hand. Matt hesitantly handed him the orange. Mars pulled the orange apart into not very even halves and peeled it from there. He handed the slices back to Matt, who looked awed by the sight. He stuffed the slices into his mouth, making Mars stifle a snort. The others were either finished or nearly done with their sandwiches and hurriedly taking grabs for the snacks. Tom even ate two crackers at a time, putting a slice of cheese in between them like a sandwich, just to make sure Tord couldn't steal the snack he wanted most.

Finally, the four settled back in their chairs and sighed happily. Matt stretched out, feeling completely relaxed.

"I take it you liked the lunch?" Mars questioned, smiling.

"It was amazing!" Matt exclaimed. "Thank you!"

"Yeah, I'll take a few more orders of those sandwiches to go," Tord replied.

Tom downed the rest of his Smirnoff straight from the bottle and set it down on the table with a large clank, demanding, "I need more of these things." He stifled a hiccup.

"I think you'll be fine," Edd stated. "You're already getting tipsy, I can tell."

Tom shouted, "I can take alcohol! You can't even handle a root beer float!"

Mars laughed heartily. "Well, there's not really anything left to talk about. Plus, I'm sure you guys want to go explore some more around, right?" He stood up from his chair, brushing off his clothes. He took the tray of now trash and disappeared back into the room behind the curtain. He came back with a bag and a little mug. "Could you guys deliver this to Valentino for me?" he asked. "I wasn't able to give them to him earlier because he really needed rest. I figured you guys would see him around somewhere."

"I don't mind," Edd replied, taking the bag and mug. "What's in here, anyways?"

"A lot of food," Mars answered simply. "He loves food. The mug's just got coffee. He loves that stuff too."

"What kind of person puts that much cream and sugar into their coffee?!" Tord yelled. "How weak is he?"

Mars shrugged. "He just likes it sweet most of the time," he replied. "I've only ever seen him drink it black when he's..." He cut himself off and didn't finish his sentence. He shook his head. "Anyways, I'll give you a lid to put on it. That way, if you drop it, it won't spill everywhere." He went back over to the table and grabbed the lid and covered the mug with it. "There." He looked proud of himself.

"Your family has some weird-ass genetics," Tord muttered.

"Huh?" Mars looked at him.

"Well, like..." Tord thought for a moment. "Your hair is this really bright red, and then Rome's is some sort of dark ginger, and then Warrior's is blond, and Valentino's is brown. How many colors of the rainbow were in your family tree?"

Mars bust out laughing. "You th-think this is natural?" he sputtered, wiping tears from his eyes. "No, dude, this is dyed. See the eyebrows?" He gestured to them. "Still brown. Also, Warrior's hair is bleached. His hair used to be super dark red. Like, it was almost black. Kinda like my old hair color, except it was a really dark brown."

Tord nodded thoughtfully. "So I guess one of your parents was a ginger?"

Mars nodded in response. "Yeah, my mother. Father had brown eyes and brown hair and all that plain old boring stuff. Mother had these wicked green eyes and this red hair that looked like fire if seen in the right light. It was cool."

The four noticed how much Mars's face lit up when he talked about himself and his family. His eyes sparkled like stars and he had a bright grin. He clasped his hands together and continued, "Well, it was nice seeing you four again. I hope we can spend some more time together." He smiled almost a little too sweetly. "Oh, but first..." He turned to Tord. "You shouldn't steal other people's property, you know."

Tord averted his eyes and pulled the book of curses out of his hoodie. Mars took it and tucked it under his arm. "Goodbye." He waved to the four of them. The four nodded and waved back as they exited the room. They continued along the dark hallways, wondering where to go next.

"I think I'm starting to piece this together a little more," Edd commented. "Maybe if we find out more about their past, we could figure out some more about this hotel."

"Why do you say that?" Tord asked, looking over at him with a cocked eyebrow.

"I feel like they're more connected to this place than we think they are," Edd responded. "Tom even mentioned that earlier. How'd they know we would be trapped here?"

"It's all so confusing," Tom said. "I don't get any of this."

They all sighed in unison as they pushed open the next door. Once again, they gaped at the sight. The orange room was bathed in a golden light thanks to the giant window at the back letting in shimmering sunlight. On either side of the window were bookshelves, lamps, and chairs, as well as a TV under it. The walls were covered in medals and awards, also adding to the golden shine of the room. To either side were hallways that led to unknown rooms. In the middle of the room were several large rugs and a few couches. The four stepped inside the room fully, looking around curiously. They walked into the middle of the room, staring at the rugs. They were all shaped like balls used in certain sports, such as a baseball or basketball. Tord looked in the direction of the bookshelves and squinted, trying to figure out what they were.

"Think fast!" a voice suddenly shouted. The four looked over to see a soccer ball barreling towards them. They threw themselves out of the way, the ball just barely missing them and colliding with the wall. It bounced off and the person who had kicked it caught it. He laughed, the four glaring up at him from the floor.

"Rome, what the hell's wrong with you?" Tom shouted.

"Yeah!" Matt agreed. "You could've hurt my beautiful face!"

"Just testing your reaction time," Rome replied. He walked over to them, still holding the ball. They all stood up, still irritated. Being so close up to him, they now noticed just how short he was. He wasn't nearly as short as Valentino, but Tord and Matt still had a good few inches on him. Tom was the only one shorter than him.

Rome suddenly noticed what Edd was holding and gestured to it. "What's that?"

"Stuff for Valentino," Edd replied. "Mars told us to give this to him."

"Ah, yeah..." Rome looked concerned. "Poor kid. He seemed really shaken."

Edd, Tom, Matt, and Tord looked at each other nervously.

"You know..." Rome tapped his chin. "He spends a lot of time with you guys, and I can't help but feel like maybe something happened between you all." He stared at them, his eyes full of fire.

"W-We haven't seen him all day," Tom replied. "We've actually been looking for him."

Rome's eyes narrowed. His mouth curled into a snarl and the room seemed to get darker. A glow of orange came across his eyes for a split second. Thick tension enveloped the room, making it hard to breathe. Suddenly, Rome sighed, and everything seemed to disappear. He stared at them, still looking wary, but moved on.

"Anyways," Rome began, "what brings you all here?"

"We just came from Mars's," Tom answered. "We're looking for Valentino, as I said before."

"Well, you can stay here a while if you want," Rome responded. "It's always nice to take a break from so much walking, hmm?" He headed over to a couch in the middle of the room and settled on it, taking up the whole thing. The other four sat on the other couches, looking uncomfortable.

"What's with all the carpets?" Matt asked.

Rome looked over at him. "Oh, it's just to represent all the sports I played back in high school," he said. "I was the star player in a lot of them. They're still dear to me."

"Is that why you have that 13 on your shirt?" Tom inquired.

Rome looked down. "Oh, yeah." He toyed with the stitching. "That was my number in soccer. Er, football, as you call it. It's my favorite sport even today."

"So that's why you tried to nearly kill us with that ball?" Tord questioned.

"Again, I was just testing your reaction time," Rome retorted. He stood up, getting off the couch with a huff. "You're so whiny sometimes, you remind me of Valentino."

"I'm not whiny!" Tord exclaimed.

"Valentino's not whiny," Tom argued. "Tord is, though."

"Hey!" Tord glared at him.

Rome held up his hands in surrender. "Hey, now, no fighting," he ordered. "Can't you guys take a joke?" He crossed his arms and headed over to the window. He leaned on it and stared outside, a relaxing air falling over the room. The other four headed to where he stood, wondering what he was doing.

It was a beautiful day outside. The skies were bright blue and clear of clouds and the sun shone brightly. Birds fluttered around and played chase with the butterflies. Petals danced in the breeze and kids ran around in the comfort of their backyards, carefree and joyful. People walked down the sidewalks, strolling peacefully with babies and dogs. Rome put his finger up to the window and pointed to a house on the opposite street.

"See that house?" he asked. "With the gray stone and black roof?"

The four nodded.

"That's our house," he said.

The four stared at him, wondering if they heard him right.

"Mars wasn't kidding when he said we lived near here," Rome continued. "It's weird, being able to see it right from here, and yet never being able to return."

"That must be painful," Edd remarked.

Rome nodded, sighing. "I miss home," he mumbled. He stared down, looking troubled. The other four looked at each other, wondering how to comfort him. Finally, Rome shook his head and turned to them. "Anything you want to talk about?" he questioned.

"What's in the bookshelves?" Tord asked.

Rome glanced over at them, seemingly forgetting the bookshelves were even there. "Oh, just a bunch of sports magazines and record books," he said. "Nothing you would be interested in, most likely." He shrugged. "Who knows, maybe you guys like sports. I didn't really think you would be." He turned back to them. "Anything else?"

The four shook their heads. Rome shrugged and stepped away from the window, heading over to the front of the room. He stopped at one of the walls and studied a medal for a few seconds, then continued to the door. The other four followed him down. Rome stood in front of the door, looking at them.

"Well, nice seeing you again," he said. "I hadn't really gotten to give you guys a proper introduction since we got here. Maybe we could hang out sometime."

"Yeah, I guess that'd be nice," Tom replied. "So long as you don't kill us next time."

Rome laughed. "Sure." He opened the door for them and waved with his other hand. "See ya soon."

Edd, Tom, Matt, and Tord nodded and waved as they left the room. Rome closed the door once they were all out. The four stared at each other, silently asking what to do now. They shrugged at each other and continued exploring the halls.

"I wonder why they're being so nice all of a sudden," Tom wondered aloud. "They've tried to kill Valentino multiple times and threatened to hurt us, too. Why now are they being all friendly?"

"Probably to do some awful shit," Tord replied. "They're like a milder version of Valentino. It seems like he's trying to get on our good side early so he can betray us or something. The others started off all mean and are trying to get us to trust them again."

"You really think Valentino's gonna do that?" Edd sounded skeptical.

"He killed someone, after all," Tord said. "According to Matt, at least."

Matt avoided meeting their eyes. He stared at the opposite wall, frowning. The others felt as if he had been acting strange ever since he admitted what Valentino said. However, they didn't really know how to confront him about it. They just blamed it on the thought of inevitably having to see Valentino again despite not trusting him. They opened the next door, expecting to see the next brother in the chain. What they were met with was an octagonal-shaped room.

The lemon-colored walls were covered in bookshelves. Everywhere they looked were books on every topic, large and small. In the middle of the room were several bean bag chairs and other lounging chairs, all in common geometric shapes, arranged in a circle, with tables on either side of them. The ceiling above the middle was completely glass, allowing the sunlight to come in. On either side of the middle were two walls made of glass, along with glass doors. However, it was too dark to see what was beyond them.

"Wow," Matt breathed. "Valentino wasn't kidding when he said Warrior was always locked up in his room studying."

"This is a pretty chill place, at least," Tom remarked. "Even if the walls are kinda blinding."

"You can hardly see them under all the books," Tord pointed out. "I have a feeling I'm going to be spending lots of time in here."

"Geez, Tord, I _never_ would've taken you as one to disrespect one's privacy," a familiar voice jeered. "That was sarcasm, by the way."

The four looked around and found Warrior sitting upside-down in one of the circular chairs. He looked up at them with striking green eyes. The four hadn't noticed before, but studying the chairs closely now revealed something strange about the room - it was entirely symmetrical. The only things making the sides different were the four standing there and Warrior sitting in the chair.

"When did you get in here?" Tord asked. "It seems like all of you are just appearing out of nowhere."

"That doesn't matter," Warrior shot back. "The real question here is, why are you disrupting the balance of this room? It would be entirely symmetrical if you weren't here."

"Same for you," Tord said. "If you weren't sitting there, the room would be symmetrical."

Warrior smiled and shook his head. "I am sitting in the exact spot where my presence makes the right and left sides completely symmetrical. I am sitting exactly halfway in this room, so that either half of my body is on either side of the room. Therefore, since I am not moving, this room is still symmetrical. Even the other rooms beyond those doors are symmetrical. It would all be in balance if you weren't here."

"The inside of your body isn't symmetrical, though," Tom pointed out.

"I am just the perfect imperfection of this room," Warrior replied. "Though, I do have to say... Cut a brain in half and you get two identical halves. I am the brain of this room." He smirked. "Now, why are you here?"

"We're looking for Valentino, but we found Lord Jackass instead," Tord growled.

"Tord!" Edd shouted.

Warrior laughed. "Of course, you blame all of your problems on the one who didn't do anything. Is that what you're going to do to Valentino, too?"

"What?" Tord raised an eyebrow at him.

"You're going to go over to Valentino and blame him for something he never did, right?" Warrior said. "You're going to hurt him and beat him for everything, yet he did nothing."

"Why would you ever think we would do that?" Edd inquired, looking nervous.

"Because I know what you did to him this morning," Warrior answered. He stared straight into them. "Don't bother trying to deny it." His eyes flashed yellow. "I see all."

"You didn't see shit!" Tom cried. "We haven't seen him!"

Warrior's stare turned cold and a heavy atmosphere of tension flooded the room. His eyes flashed yellow once more. With his teeth clenched, he uttered just a few words that made chills run up everyone's spines.

"Don't hurt my damn brother."

"Oh, so it's bad if we happen to hurt Valentino accidentally," Tom began, "but it's perfectly okay for you to fucking strangle him?!"

Warrior smirked. "You really think I can help it?"

"You can fucking control your actions," Tom spat.

"This hotel does awful things to people," Warrior replied. "They can change everything about you. You won't be able to control yourself if you've gone insane, or if the hotel brainwashes you."

"Brainwashing," Tom scoffed. "That's the best you can come up with? Now you're gonna say aliens abducted you and made you want to kill your own brother."

Warrior sighed. "I'm done with this discussion."

"Only because you know you've lost," Tom retorted.

"No, it's because it's impossible to argue with imbeciles like you," Warrior said coolly. "You haven't been here nearly long enough to know what this place does to people." He slowly shifted his position right side up and then stood from there. "Well, as long as you're here, I might as well show you around." He gestured for them to follow him as he headed over to the bookshelves. The four did so and stood by him, waiting for him to go on whatever rant he was going to next. Being this close to him, they could notice that everything about him was strangely neat and symmetrical. His hair was even cut evenly on both sides so that it had identical halves. He stared over in the direction of the chairs. He stayed like that for a long time before finally saying, "Hold on," and going back over to the chairs. 

"One of you must've bumped into the table or something," Warrior muttered. He shifted the table around, looking back and forth at every table and chair in the circle. He continued messing with the table, looking angry. Finally, he kicked it and shouted, "I'll deal with this shit later." He headed back over to the other four, muttering curses and accusations. His expression turned even more sour as he noticed Tord holding a book.

"What's this thing all about?" Tord asked.

Warrior sighed and growled, "Give me that," snatching the book from Tord's hands. He looked through it to make sure it wasn't damaged, then looked for its correct spot on the shelf.

"You're really organized, huh?" Edd commented. "I mean, the books are divided by topic and even in alphabetical order. And it seems like the same copies of the books are on the other side, too."

"Of course." Warrior turned to them and held the book open, allowing them to see its pages. "This room has to be entirely the same on both sides. It's actually..."

"A complete mirror," another voice finished.

The four jumped a foot in the air and turned around to see Warrior standing behind them. They looked at where he was just standing and back to where he was now, confused. They all had the same questions, but couldn't figure out how to form the words.

"I told you," Warrior said, "the room has balance." He smiled. "You can tell it's a mirror because even the words in this book are all backwards on this side. Just a simple reflection." He placed the book back into the bookshelf and turned back to the four. "Well, anything else to show you?"

"I do have one question..." Tord glanced back at the glass doors. "What-"

"There is nothing of importance behind those doors," Warrior cut in. "It's nothing you should snoop your noses into."

The four looked at each other once again before Matt said, "So I guess we're on the top level of the hotel?"

Warrior tilted his head. "Why do you say that?"

"Well..." Matt looked up at the skylight and pointed to it. "We can see the sky through the ceiling."

Warrior shook his head. "Just an illusion made by the hotel. It's not the real sky. It changes night and day, but it's not real. It's just to make us feel better. This hotel has an unlimited number of floors, anyways. You never know if you're on the top or bottom or anything. It makes itself up."

"When will the illusions stop?" Edd mumbled.

"When you want to die," Warrior answered coldly. He let his answer sink in as he turned to the door of the room and headed towards it. The four stared at each other for a few moments before finally following him. They sighed as they neared the door.

How were they ever going to figure out the hotel's secrets, much less get out of here?


	26. Disconnected

As soon as Edd, Tom, Matt, and Tord walked into the next room, they immediately knew it was Valentino's. Even if they had been introduced to the rooms in a weird order, they would know on sight that this was Valentino's.

A rose the size of the building towered over them from the middle of the room. Thorns ran across it in a sequential motion, almost like stairs. The rest of the room was a nature-filled wonderland. Grass covered the floor, animals skipped about, and a beautiful waterfall flowed from one end of the room into a shimmering pond. Brooks also streamed out from the pond across the room, their ends nowhere in sight. On one side of the room, opposite the waterfall, was the beginning of a forest. Beyond that, the four couldn't see. At the back of the room was more trees, densely packed so that none could see beyond them. Edd stepped fully into the room, the others close behind him.

"Valentino!" Edd called.

No answer came. They looked around the room, but there was no trace of the brunet.

"Valentino!" Edd shouted again, louder this time.

Finally, from the top of the rose, a figure appeared. It smiled and waved down to them.

"Hello, you four!" Valentino's voice yelled down. "Hold on, I will come down to greet you!" He hurried over to the outer petals of the rose, pushing them apart to step onto one of the thorns. The rest of the thorns became rectangular, making them appear even more like stairs. Valentino gracefully skipped down them, finally arriving in front of the four. He smiled, clasping his hands in front of his chest.

"You sure recovered fast..." Matt remarked. He rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

Valentino nodded. "This room is like magic!" he exclaimed. "It makes me feel so much better. It is my little safe haven."

"So you're not upset?" Edd asked.

Valentino tilted his head. "Why would I ever be upset at you?" he inquired. "You are amazing friends! I deserved the abandonment anyways. I was being a, uh, how you say..." He tapped his chin. "I was being...teatrero. I do not remember the English term for it."

"Alright..." Edd didn't seem convinced. Matt looked concerned, while Tom and Tord stared at Valentino with confused expressions.

"Uh, Valentino," Tom began. "You have some, uh...flower petals in your hair."

"Hmm?" Valentino looked up. "Oh, it appears I do. No problem." He violently shook his head as if he were a wet dog. However, he did not realize that upon shaking his head like that, his hair came undone. Once he stopped, his long locks fell upon his shoulders. The petals circled his head like a halo for a few moments before fluttering off in different directions. Valentino looked to Tom for approval, smiling.

The four stared at him with gaping mouths. Valentino stared back in concern, not knowing what was wrong.

"Is there a spider on me or something?" he inquired. "What is it?"

"Your hair..." was all Tom said. Thankfully, that was all he needed to say, as Valentino finally realized what had happened. He gasped and looked to his shoulders, yelping and gathering up his hair to put it back up. Matt, however, ran over to him before he could do anything. Valentino looked up and yelped again upon noticing him there so suddenly.

"Your hair's so cute!" Matt exclaimed.

"C-Cute...?" Valentino looked and sounded confused.

The other three stared at each other, wondering if Matt was being genuine in his reaction or just trying to gain Valentino's trust.

"Of course it's cute!" Matt continued. "It looks really nice on you. Why don't you wear it like this more often?"

"W-Well, I find it, ehm...e-embarrassing," Valentino stammered.

"How did it even get like that?" Tom questioned.

Valentino averted his gaze and mumbled, "I cut most of it after...an incident. However, I was interrupted in the middle and therefore never got to cut all of it. Annabeth suggested I keep it the way it was, so..." He trailed off.

"An incident?" Matt sounded curious.

Valentino stared up at him, an unidentifiable emotion flashing through his eyes for a split second. "I do not want to talk about it," was all he said.

Thankfully for him, Matt didn't press on, as he got distracted by something else. He gasped and suddenly grabbed Valentino's face, making the brunet yelp. Matt studied his face and his eyes widened. He jumped back and squealed in glee.

"I knew that wasn't a trick of the light!" he exclaimed. "You wear earrings!"

Valentino groaned. "Oh, please do not mention them..."

"They look really pretty!" Matt said.

"Oh, they are just cheap little things..." Valentino looked away. "I got them from Annabeth as a little present, but even she said they were all she could find that would suit me that were not terribly expensive." Valentino chuckled. "She really spoiled me as much as she could..."

"You're so brave!" Matt remarked. "I want to wear earrings too but I can never find any that don't ruin my good looks plus people are just rude when I do wear some nice jewelry. It's dumb!"

Valentino sighed. "Exactly why I do not show them off. I hide them with my hair so people do not make fun of me. That, and my hair itself is enough to make people laugh..."

"How do you even keep your hair up?" Tord asked. "Do you have some secret hair ties or something?"

Valentino laughed at that. "I use the hair itself. Here, I will show you." He grabbed one large lock and folded it in half, putting it on top of his head. "I use the hair on top here as little ties." He grabbed handfuls of hair and demonstrated, tying the locks together. Once that part was finished, he grasped some of his extra hair. "Keeping this part over my ears is a little more difficult to handle. I have to tie it to the back of my head to keep it all held together, and some have to tie directly to the ear or even be held in place by my earrings. It is all very complicated." He continued tying up that side, but Matt stopped him.

"You don't need to tie it back up again," Matt told him. "You can keep it undone."

"Really?" Valentino looked up at him.

"It suits you better," Matt said.

Valentino's face flushed and he giggled, putting his hair back to the way it was. Matt smiled, but his face fell once more upon noticing something. Valentino tilted his head, wondering what was wrong.

"Your ear," Matt explained. "There's a scar or something there, like your earlobe's torn."

Valentino held his left ear as if he were in pain and mumbled, "It has been there for a while." He looked down, continuing, "Someone pulled out my earring by force."

"Who did that to you?" Edd asked.

Valentino's expression turned cold. "You need not know." He looked up and clasped his hands together, looking up at them happily. "Would you like to join me up in the rose? It is beautiful up there."

The four looked at each other for a few moments in hesitation. Thoughts of them falling off (or, in Matt's case, Valentino pushing them off) ran through their heads. The idea that they could die so easily scared them.

"N-No, thank you," Matt stammered.

Valentino looked crestfallen. "Oh, but it is gorgeous up there! You can see everything in this room!"

"No, really, we're fine," Edd replied.

"And Tord is scared of heights," Tom added.

"Am not!" Tord shouted indignantly.

Valentino snorted, remarking, "Rome is scared of heights as well." Suddenly, his face turned to one of curiosity. "What is that you are holding, Edd?" He gestured to the bag and mug that Edd still grasped.

"Oh, these are for you," Edd answered, holding them out to Valentino. The brunet gasped and took them gingerly, inspecting them with curiosity.

"You brought these for me?" Valentino inquired, sounding as if he couldn't believe it. "That is so kind of you!"

"Well, more like delivered it to you," Tom said. "They're from Mars."

Valentino's expression turned stony. "Oh." His voice was cold. "Well. That is surprising. Anyways, would you like to join me over by the waterfall? We can all find out what is in these over there."

The four looked at each other, afraid of drowning, but realized they were being ridiculous by this point. They nodded and followed Valentino over to the pond. They sat on the grass together, looking curiously over at the bag as Valentino rustled through it. The brunet squealed upon seeing the bag's contents.

"Food!" Valentino exclaimed. He pulled out something in a wrapper, then realized that the other four were still there. "Oh, but you four must be hungry as well. Here, we can share."

The four shook their heads. "No, we're fine," Edd replied.

"Yeah, Mars gave us lunch," Tord added.

Pure hatred flashed in Valentino's eyes. He gave the four an expression of true malice. It soon changed into an emotion akin to hurt. However, he shook his head and looked back down at the bag. He mumbled something in Spanish and took out a folded piece of paper from the bag. His eyebrows furrowed and he unfolded the paper, reading it silently. Several emotions crossed over his face as he read it. He looked troubled upon finishing it.

"What's that say?" Matt asked. He leaned over to Valentino, trying to see what was written on the letter. Valentino backed away, glaring at him. Matt flinched.

"Is that really any of your business?" Valentino inquired. He folded up the letter neatly and put it in his breast pocket that none of them had noticed earlier. He took the original thing in a wrapper he had pulled out earlier and unwrapped it, revealing a sandwich. His face turned to one of pleasant surprise and he quickly took a bite, closing his eyes and relishing the flavor.

"You still have a drink there, you know," Edd pointed out. Valentino looked at him in acknowledgement and then turned to the mug. He gently picked it up, taking the lid off and beaming. He kicked his feet in happiness and took a large drink of the coffee. He held the mug tenderly, looking happy.

"It really is beautiful here," Tom remarked quietly. The other three nodded, staring up at the waterfall. The edges of the pond lapped against the grass. Rocks, plants, and even small animals made their home in and around the water. A turtle swam past them. A salamander sunned itself on a log floating in the pond. Birds danced and sang above them. Butterflies rested on the flowers surrounding the five of them. It was all a beautiful sight.

And then Valentino mumbled, "What did my brothers say about me?"

The four turned to him, looking surprised. Valentino stared into his mug, as if it held all the answers. He seemed upset.

"Well..." Edd averted his gaze. "They said they felt bad about you. I don't really know if they were genuine or not, though."

"They sounded genuine," Tord remarked. "Mars hardly stopped talking about you."

"Yeah, about how horrible I am and how much I need to die," Valentino cut in quietly.

"Nope," Tom replied. "He talked about how happy he was that he got to know you. Er, as in, he's able to remember you from the day you were born."

Matt spoke, "He was also surprised that you talked about him. It really seems like maybe he does care about you."

"Warrior even threatened us because he thought we hurt you," Tord laughed.

Valentino looked troubled, still staring down into his coffee.

"They really said all that?" he mumbled, sounding surprised.

"Yeah," Edd answered.

A small smile broke across Valentino's face. His eyes welled up with tears. He wiped them away with the back of his hand and looked up at the waterfall. His gaze stared off into nothingness.

"He really did mean what he wrote, then," Valentino thought aloud. His expression went troubled again and he looked down into the pond. His fingers drummed against his mug.

"I really should be more kind to them," he said in a voice hardly louder than a whisper. His hands shook slightly. Finally, he shook his head and looked back down into the bag of food. He gasped in delight and pulled out a bag of five churros.

"Now, you cannot possibly back away from this offer!" Valentino exclaimed. He held out the bag to them. "Churros, for you! Please, have one."

The four took their own churro, muttering thanks to him. They gaped at the size of them.

"These are some huge churros," Tom remarked.

"That's what she-" Tord began, but was cut off by Tom saying, "Don't."

"These are authentic Mexican churros," Valentino explained. "They are not the fake ones you get from your standard restaurant. They are real, and very big."

"Do you just have a pot of cinnamon laying around ready for food to be dipped into it?" Matt questioned. "It seems like this would need at least five bottles of the stuff..."

Valentino laughed. "I do love cinnamon, but trust me, one bottle of it would melt your tastebuds. It is very spicy. Of course, I am quite used to the spice. I love spicy foods, after all." He took a bite of his churro and chewed happily.

"So why are you so into Spanish culture and foods?" Edd asked.

Valentino shook his head. He tried to say something, but his mouth was full of churro, making it impossible for them to understand what he was saying.

"Valentino, I can't understand a word you're saying," Tord said. "Don't talk with your mouth full."

Valentino nodded and continued eating, pulling out some napkins from the bag and handing them to everyone. Once he swallowed, he elaborated, "Well, my father is Spanish, as you might remember. He taught me the entire Spanish language and cooked me Spanish foods and taught me the customs. I suppose I liked growing up with it."

"Well, yeah, but you always could've just refused it," Edd replied. "How come you didn't fight against it when young or decide not to conform to those customs?"

Valentino thought for a moment, then responded, "It was better than doing the same things my mother did."

The room went silent, save for the rushing of the waterfall. The four looked at each other nervously, afraid to continue eating their churros. Valentino stared down at the pond, then stuffed the rest of his churro into his mouth. When he was done, he suddenly grew an expression of realization.

"Oh!" he exclaimed. "I have surprises for you all! Here, let me go get them!" He hurriedly stood up and ran to the back of the room, dashing into the trees.

The four stared off after him, blinking and trying to register what had just happened. Matt threw the rest of his churro to the ground and stood up, heading towards the door. He looked back at the other three, frowning.

"Well?" Matt sounded impatient. "Aren't we gonna leave?"

"What's with your attitude?" Tom inquired.

"I don't want to be here anymore," Matt replied. "I don't want to stay in this room and I definitely want to be out of this hotel. I don't want us to keep wasting our time with a murderer instead of finding an escape."

"But Matt, he's being so kind to us," Edd argued. "He's even got surprises he's getting for us."

"I bet he's getting out weapons to kill us all," Matt retorted. "Didn't you see how eager he was? He's trying to murder us!"

"You're being fucking ridiculous, Matt!" Tom shouted.

"I am not!" Matt snapped. "He told me he killed someone! Of course I'm gonna be wary of him!"

"You don't even know if you heard that right!" Tom yelled.

"I know what I fucking heard!" Matt screamed.

"Guys!" Tord exclaimed. "Would you calm down? He might hear us."

"Why are you being so calm around someone who's killed?" Matt growled.

"Oh my god, Matt." Tord rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I think you're going insane. You were crying over this guy and wanting to sacrifice yourself to save him, hell you even squealed over his earrings, and now you're going on and on about how he murdered someone and we have to be wary of him."

Matt's teeth ground together and he glared at Tord. "One, I still care about his well-being. Two, that was an act. Three, I want us out of this hotel and not fucking dead at his hands! I don't want to be near him anymore! I'll get my damn secrets from Mars, Rome, and Warrior. At least I can trust them!"

"Oh, like their murderous asses are any better!" Tom shouted.

"Whatever, I'm leaving," Matt said, stomping towards the door. "You guys just sit here and wait to be killed. I'm not staying with you."

"M-Matt, it isn't good to split up like this!" Edd stammered, scrambling to get up and run after him.

"Matt, you're being a goddamn idiot!" Tord screamed, also hurrying after the ginger.

Tom sighed and got up. "I'm sorry, kid," he mumbled as he followed the other three out of the room.

Finally, Valentino ran back to the pond with four baskets hanging off of his arms. They were full of decorative flowers, corresponding to the four's favorite colors and personalities.

"I am sorry it took me so long," Valentino began, "but I had to climb up into-" He cut himself off when he realized the four were no longer present. "Guys?" he questioned the air. He gasped when he noticed the discarded remains of Matt's churro lying in the grass. His expression went crestfallen and he crouched down, gently dropping the baskets onto the grass. He cradled the churro in his hands and put it into the bag, standing up with all the trash in his hands. In a fit of anger, he threw the bag into the air, watching it drift gently in the wind. He frowned, and a strong gust of wind akin to a tornado came through and tore the bag apart, leaving only scraps of paper to float away into the distance. He sighed and tied his hair back to its normal state, walking around the room.

"Edd?" Valentino called. "Tom? Matty? Tord? Where are you four?" He paced around, looking everywhere for them. "I have your surprises ready..." He darted around the room, his eyes searching every nook and cranny. However, he couldn't find them, and worry filled him to the brim. "Guys?! Where are you?" He stared up at the giant rose, running up the stairs and looking through the petals. He panted, tears welling up in his eyes. They were nowhere to be found. He took the folded letter from his pocket and grabbed a book sitting in the rose, putting the paper inside and running back down the stairs. However, near the end of them, he tripped and fell a few feet to the ground. He groaned upon hitting it, the tears streaming down his now dirt-stained face.

"This isn't funny!" Valentino screamed. He thrashed around on the ground. "Please, tell me where you are!" He scrambled up, struggling along the way, and brushed off his clothing. He wiped his face, hoping it wasn't a mess. He shook his head to make sure anything stuck in his hair was out, then fixed his hair back up again and ran around the room in a frenzy. He inquired in a trembling voice, "You guys did not all commit mass suicide, did you?"

Valentino's knees suddenly buckled beneath him and he collapsed onto the ground. He sobbed into his hands, shaking his head. He muttered phrases to himself, trying to call out for his friends as well as calm himself down. When he had finally stopped shaking and was able to breathe normally, he looked up and wiped his face. He took a few shuddering breaths and stood up.

"C-Calm down, Valentino," he stammered to himself. "Stop being a...stop being a...!" He slammed his fist into the rose next to him, accidentally slamming it right onto a thorn. He cried out in pain, holding his hand close to his chest. He growled, walking back over to where he had left the baskets. He picked them up and headed out of the room, ready to look for the others. He turned to the right and ran down that hallway, hoping to bump into the four instead of run around screaming for them. He decided to start walking slower, as the flowers might fall out of the baskets. He continued down that way, searching for his friends.

Suddenly, Valentino stopped. He heard something. It sounded almost like shouting. He started heading in the direction of the sound, but found himself at a crossroads. Several directions awaited him, and all seemed to have that same shout. He listened for a while longer, still confused, then ran straight ahead as a guess. However, the shouts grew quiet, and he wondered whether this was the wrong direction or the people were just stopping their argument. He stood there with his baskets, staring perplexed at the ground. Suddenly, he heard footsteps, and he looked up.

"Tom!" Valentino exclaimed. "I am so glad to see you!"

The blue-hooded man looked solemnly at him. Valentino tilted his head, confused.

"What is wrong?" Valentino asked.

Tom scratched the back of his neck nervously. "Geez, kid..." He shook his head and stared at Valentino. "I'm sorry for leaving so quickly."

Valentino stared back at him, looking hurt. "It is okay, but I would like to know why you left." He held up his arms, showing off the baskets. "You never even got your surprises."

Tom stared at the baskets with his mouth agape. However, he soon closed his eyes and mouth and looked down at the ground. "We left for a stupid reason, Valentino."

Valentino looked confused again. "Surely it was not so stupid since you all left so quickly?"

Tom averted his gaze and shifted from foot to foot. Finally, he mumbled, "Matt doesn't trust you."

Valentino's eyes widened. "Wh-What?" he said in disbelief.

"Matt doesn't trust you and he thinks you killed someone so he got all mad and left and we had no choice but to follow him," Tom explained. "I decided to get away from them because I'm done with all the yelling, but Tord and Edd are chewing him out."

Valentino staggered backwards. "Matt...does not trust me?" he echoed. He shook his head and looked at the ground. He looked afraid. "But...he is always so friendly with me. It seemed like he cared about me the most."

"That was his plan," Tom muttered. "He pretended to be friendly to get close with you so he could learn the secrets of the hotel and get out of here."

A familiar numbness coursed through Valentino's body. The soft sound of the baskets all hitting the floor disrupted the silence. Flower petals spread out in disarray around Valentino. Tom stared at the baskets, crestfallen. He couldn't see any weapons or anything hidden amongst the flowers, so he knew Valentino was innocent.

He felt like a huge asshole and he hadn't even done anything.

"Look, I'm sorry-" Tom tried to reassure Valentino, but the brunet looked up and glared at him with such an intensity that Tom slammed his mouth shut.

"Shut your damn mouth," Valentino growled through clenched teeth. "You cannot apologize, because you feel no regret. You want to hurt me, just like him!"

"What?" Tom was taken aback. "No, I-"

"All of you are out to get me!" Valentino shouted. "You are all using me to escape, when I want to get out of here just as much as you! I trust you and love you with all my heart and soul and being, and what do you do? You betray me!"

"Valentino, stop this!" Tom yelled.

"No!" Valentino screamed. "You need to fucking listen to me this time! I have sacrificed my time and even my own well-being and life for you, but you continue to hurt me!" Tears welled up in his eyes and spilled down his cheeks. However, he kept talking through the sobs. "You were the f-first people to make me g-genuinely happy. You kn-know how hard my life is, and h-how weird I am because of it. However, you c-continue to treat me like e-everyone else does. You betray me a-a-and abuse me, just l-like all the other people in my life."

"Stop accusing me of things I never did to you," Tom demanded.

"That is exactly what you are doing to me!" Valentino cried. "You only spend time with me to get information out of me and hurt me! You keep saying I did things that never happened! Y-You...You are just like them..." A hiccuping sob shook Valentino to his core, and he finally stopped. He stood there, shivering and crying, with his arms pulled tightly to his sides and his hands clenched into fists. Pain traveled throughout his body, but he felt numb at the same time. He was feeling so much hurt, and yet feeling nothing at all. He looked up at Tom with hurt clear in his expression.

"I'm sorry I'm not good enough for you," Valentino mumbled. He then turned and ran down the hallway, tears billowing out behind him and the petals dancing in the breeze left by him. Tom stayed where he was, mouth agape. He stared at where Valentino had just been, not knowing what to do. He heard footsteps come up behind him and turned, seeing Edd, Matt, and Tord standing there. Matt looked very troubled, and for some odd reason that Tom didn't know, his green jacket was tied around his waist.

"We heard shouting over here," Tord said. "What happened?"

Tom gestured to the flowers on the floor. "Valentino happened."

Matt wrung his hands together nervously.

"Before we talk about that, did you get everything solved with him?" Tom inquired.

Matt averted his gaze.

"Yeah, we did," Edd replied. He nudged the ginger with his elbow.

"I'm sorry," Matt mumbled.

"You should be saying that to Valentino," Tom snapped.

"D-Did you tell him...?" Matt trailed off.

"He deserved to know." Tom narrowed his eyes. Matt flinched as if Tom had hurt him and looked away. Tom, however, wasn't letting him go off scot-free like that. He continued, "Look at what you've done, Matt." He turned back to the flowers. "That man brought innocent surprises for us. He made us baskets of flowers just out of gratitude and love for us, and because of you, that time and effort and happiness is ruined."

"It was...flowers?" Matt stared at them with several emotions crossing over his face. He was taking it all in slowly, not wanting to realize what he had done.

Tom nodded, glaring at Matt. "He thinks we've all been betraying him. He ran off crying because of you, Matt."

"He...cried?" Matt didn't want to believe it. "Because of...me?"

Tom nodded again. "Do you know how much he's hurting right now, Matt? He truly cared about us and loved us and trusted us. He thought of us as friends, and you go and betray him and use him like that. Would you want that done to you?"

"But...I thought-" Matt tried to speak up.

"It doesn't matter if you think he killed someone or whatever the fuck, Matt!" Tom shouted. Matt shrunk back, tears welling up in his eyes. Tom didn't care, and continued yelling, "You seriously hurt him. He's broken because of you. I know we've all been a bit stupid with him sometimes, Tord especially, but this is just being a complete dick. He's probably cutting himself again because of you, Matt!"

Tom's words bypassed Matt's ears and went straight to his heart. They felt like an ice pick going through him. His brain didn't even need to register them - he knew exactly what he had done. Regret filled him and spilled over, coming out through his eyes. He sniffled and looked down at the ground, trying to hide the shame pouring out from him. He then looked up at Tom, hurt covering his face.

"Wh-Where did Tino run off to?" Matt inquired through sobs.

Tom pointed down the hallway. Matt headed that way, clutching his stomach. He felt nauseous from his own actions. However, he soon began running, hoping he could catch up to Valentino before the brunet did anything drastic. Tom turned back to Edd and Tord, shrugging, then sat down against the wall.

"Well, guess we should wait here until he comes back," he said. The other two nodded and sat across from him, wondering what to do for however long they needed to wait.

Unfortunately, however, they didn't need to wait long.

*

A shaken Valentino burst into the first room he came across. He needed something, anything, to get his mind off of this pain. He needed an empty room, silence, numbness, something that wasn't this damn room he had found himself entering. He glared at the figure seated in the middle of the room, who stared up at him with emotionless eyes.

"Oh, it's you," Valentino growled.

"Well, fuck you too," Krittle greeted. She titled her head curiously, hair swaying with her movements. "What's with the knife?"

Valentino's eyes widened. "How did you...?"

She shrugged. "Lucky guess. You're in that 'wah I'm angsty so I'm gonna cut myself' mood, and you always have that knife with you when you're in that mood. That's why you barged in here without thinking, right?"

Valentino sighed and looked down, nodding.

Krittle giggled, hugging the bear she held in her lap. "Another point for the master! Victoria, add that to the board."

Victoria, from the other end of the room, nodded and turned to the wall. She pulled out a chalkboard from a pile of things and put a tally mark under Krittle's name. Under Valentino's name, there was a big zero, alongside a doodle of a happy Krittle face and a crying Valentino. Valentino shook his head and tried to open the door so he could get out, but it wouldn't turn. He sighed and looked back at Krittle, who kicked her legs joyfully.

"Could you let me out of here, please?" Valentino asked quietly.

Krittle raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"I want to leave," Valentino said simply.

"So you can be a pathetic weakling and keep cutting yourself til you fall dead to the ground?" Krittle laughed. "Of course."

Valentino stared down at the floor, crossing his arms over his chest weakly. He felt sick.

"You do not need to rub it in," Valentino mumbled. "I know how much of a failure I am..." Tears sprang to his eyes, and he closed them, trying not to let them win. However, they streamed down his cheeks anyway. Krittle laughed again.

"Aww, crying again, huh?" she jeered. "What even happened to you to make you so upset? Were you hurt by your big mean brothers again?" She said her last sentence in a mocking baby voice, cackling when she was done.

"They all betrayed me," Valentino sobbed.

"I know that already, dumbass!" Krittle shouted. Valentino flinched, trying to keep from crying harder by biting his lip. Krittle continued, "I've been stalking you and Matty with Quincy here. You've met him, right?" She held up the bear, making it wave. "I know everything that's happened so far. I know he really doesn't trust you, and I know that he knows that you killed someone, and I know that I have so much more of a chance with him now that you're out of the picture!" She kicked her legs and snickered in glee.

"Please stop..." Valentino clutched his stomach harder. His vision was swimming and it was getting harder to breathe.

"Why should I? It's so much fun making fun of how much of a pathetic failure you are!" Krittle grinned. "You're such a crybaby. You can't handle any of your past and you deal with pain in the shittiest ways! All you do is eat and cry and cut yourself. You always want to be nice to people and get friends, but you just end up hurting them and yourself. You say you want to protect them, but all that happens is more death. You're such a failure, it's hard to keep myself from laughing!"

"Stop it!" Valentino screamed. Icicles suddenly sprouted from the floor and made a protective wall around Valentino. Krittle stared in disbelief, not knowing what to do.

"H...How did you...?" Krittle didn't know how to begin her sentence.

The wall in front of Valentino's face moved downwards, allowing him to speak clearly to her. "You still do not know?"

Confusion spread across Krittle's face. "What do you mean?" She shifted backwards slightly, almost afraid of what had happened. Valentino smirked, and the ice walls melted. He stepped backwards and grabbed the doorknob, opening the door and backing out of the room.

"I will let you figure out the answer," he concluded, then closed the door. He sighed and headed down the hallway, numbness spreading through his body again. He just wanted to feel happy, but it never worked out for him. He entered the next room he found, relieved that it was empty. He retreated to the back corner of the room, pulling out the knife from his jeans pocket. He toyed with it for a few moments, letting himself sit there and remember.

This knife was a prize. A prize he had won, a prize that was rightfully his.

_I don't want to think about that._

Valentino ran his fingers across the edge of his sleeve.

_I don't want to think at all._

Valentino pulled his sleeve down.

_I just want to feel again._

Valentino pushed the knife out of its holder.

_I want the wounds to show._

Valentino pressed the knife to his skin.

_I want them to really know how much words hurt._

Valentino hesitated.

_This is the only thing that will make you happy anymore. Just do it already._

Valentino wanted to stop while he could.

_You can't have what you want. This is what you need. You need the pain, the feeling, to survive. You can't live without that outlet. Don't think about the others. Don't think about anything. Just do it._

Valentino took a deep breath and pushed the knife into his skin. Crimson blood formed in dots along the wound, then poured out. Valentino's troubles and worries left along with it. He wanted more. No, he needed more. More pain. More happiness. More blood.

Valentino moved the knife downward along his wrist. He pressed it against his skin there until more blood flowed, then continued along his arm. His breaths came out more and more heavily with each cut. He felt tears spring to his eyes from the sheer pain of it all, but he couldn't care less. He just needed this more than anything. He smiled through it all, feeling numb by now. He hastily pulled down the sleeve of his other arm and made cuts there, less careful and less concentrated this time. They came out sloppily and shaky, made worse by his loss of blood. He didn't care. This was all he wanted, all he needed. He didn't even care if he were to die now. That was all he wanted - to finally end it.

Valentino's vision was blurring now, both from tears and blood loss. He was feeling numb in his arms, so he stopped cutting for a few moments. He leaned back and held his head in one hand, shaking. He still grinned through the pain and tears. Feeling delirious, Valentino suddenly slashed a mark in the shape of an X along the back of his hand, then did the same to his other hand. He took a sharp and shuddering breath, getting weaker by the minute. He wiped the tears from his eyes with the back of his arm, though still got his face messy with blood. He didn't really care.

Suddenly, however, the door opened. Matt ran inside, out of breath. Tears stained his cheeks, and he looked horrified upon seeing Valentino. Adrenaline filled the brunet from his anger and hurt at having to see his betrayer.

"Tino..." Matt stepped over to him. "What are you doing?"

Valentino moved his arms closer to himself, trying to hide it. "I should be asking the same of you."

Matt flinched. "I-I'm so sorry-"

"Oh, n-now you feel bad," Valentino slurred, his vision out of focus. "The damage h-has already been done. I am not going to f-forgive you."

Matt moved his gaze downward, crestfallen. "What did you do to yourself?" he mumbled. He stepped closer, trying to see what was wrong. Valentino retreated farther into the corner, not wanting Matt near him. However, the ginger persisted, crouching down to Valentino's level. He gasped upon seeing the wounds.

"What?" Valentino glared at him. "Is this really any surprise to you?"

Matt grabbed Valentino's arm, trying to be as careful as possible. He stared at Valentino's hand, tracing his finger along the x-shaped mark. Valentino trembled under his gentle touch. Matt then turned Valentino's arm over and looked horrified at the cuts made there. He put a hand to his mouth, tears suddenly coming to his eyes and sliding down his face. Valentino's head swam with a large mingling of emotions. He didn't know what to think.

"D-Did you do this b-because of me?" Matt sobbed.

Valentino looked away, then replied, "What do you think?"

Matt backed away, staring at Valentino in shock and hurt. Finally, he burst into tears and shoved his face into his hands. "I'm so sorry, Tino!" he cried out. "I didn't mean it! I was being so selfish and I was hurting you for no reason and I hate that I've done this to you!" Matt's whole body shook from the weight of his hiccuping sobs. "I didn't want to hurt you! I just thought...I was being so stupid! Please, please, just stop hurting yourself!"

Matt's words hung in the air as his sobs filled the room. Valentino stared at him, confused and unsure of what to say. One half of him wanted to never forgive him, wanted to give him justice and seek revenge, while the other just wanted to cuddle him and kiss him and assure him that it would all be okay. He was completely torn on what to do. He reached out to try and comfort him, but the adrenaline had worn off and now the pain struck him suddenly. He cried out, holding his arm close to him. Matt wiped his eyes and gasped, seeing Valentino in pain.

"Oh my God, we need to get you fixed up," Matt realized. He stood up, grabbing Valentino and pulling him up as well. The brunet staggered on his feet, dizzy. Matt tried to pull him towards the door.

"No, M-Matty, please..." Valentino's head was swimming and everything hurt and he just didn't know what to do. "Leave me here. Let me die."

"What?!" Matt looked terrified. "No, I'm not leaving you here! I'm going to bring you to the others, a-and we're gonna get you healed and better and we're all gonna be happy and escape together!"

Valentino shook his head. "That is not...you cannot..."

Matt stomped his foot, tears threatening to spill from his eyes again. "Come on, please! Don't you know I care about you?"

Valentino was broken. He was like an unfinished puzzle. Every piece was scattered about, and just when he thought he would be complete, someone kicked him apart, and the pieces all disappeared for someone to find and give to him again. Right here, someone was trying to put that puzzle piece back. However, it wasn't fitting into any spots he had left. He desperately wanted to be complete, but the piece wasn't staying with him, and he was so angry. He was so broken.

So he acted out.

Valentino took that knife that he still had gripped in his hand and swung it upwards, slashing down in front of him.

He didn't expect to actually hit anything.

He didn't realize what he had done until Matt cupped his own cheek in pain. The ginger stared at Valentino in horror, eyes glossy. Valentino stared back, suddenly registering what had happened.

"Oh...oh no, I did not mean to..." Valentino stepped forward, hands reaching out for Matt. Matt staggered backwards, terrified.

"What's wrong with you?" Matt's voice wavered from fear. "I just came here to apologize and try to help you, and you just...cut me?"

"I'm sorry, I did not-" Valentino tried to explain himself, but Matt turned and ran out of the room. Valentino stared at the door, torn on whether to follow him or not. He suddenly let out a sharp laugh, knowing his consciousness was slipping away from him. He threw the knife across the room, not wanting to hurt anyone else with it. He staggered back to his little corner, collapsing there. The room spun around him, his vision getting darker and darker.

He couldn't help but cry one last time before everything went black.

*

Edd drummed his fingers against the wood floor. He held his head in one hand, bored out of his mind. He checked the time on his phone every few seconds, waiting for the minutes to pass. Tom checked his watch periodically as well, while Tord just sat there and stared up at the ceiling.

"What's taking him so long?" Tom asked, the question not really aimed at anyone in particular.

"He probably found Valentino by now," Edd replied. "I just hope the both of them are okay..."

"Eh, they're probably shagging," Tord remarked.

"Tord!" Edd was appalled. "That's gross."

Tord was about to make a witty reply back, but they ceased conversation and turned their heads at the sound of rapid footsteps. Matt was running down the hallway towards them at full speed, panting in time with his feet. He skidded to a stop in front of them, stopping to bend over and catch his breath. He coughed and struggled to breathe, tears running down his face and his balance wavering. The other three scrambled up, moving over to Matt.

"What the hell happened?" Tom questioned.

"Holy shit, Matt, your hands!" Tord exclaimed.

Matt straightened a bit and held out his arms, showing his bloody palms to them. Upon doing this, he also showed his face, revealing a large gash in his right cheek. The three gasped, alarmed.

"Explain what happened, right now," Edd demanded.

"I-I found Valentino," Matt choked out. "He was...He was c-cutting himself, just like you said..." It looked like it hurt for him to say.

"Enough about that, what happened to you?" Tom felt concerned for both of them, but was more worried about Matt right now.

"I was just trying to figure out what he was doing, and I touched his arms while doing so, so I got blood all over my hands..." Matt took a sudden shuddering breath. "And then I tried to apologize to him, and then get him over to you guys so we could fix him, but he...but he slashed at me with his knife, and that's how I got this cut, so I ran away to find you...."

"You two need some serious medical attention, now," Tord stated. He looked around. "Where the hell do we find medical supplies around here? I need something to stop the bleeding, and antibacterial shit, and so much stuff..."

In front of them, a door burst open. They looked up, staring at it. Nothing came from the room the door led to. It just stayed open. Tord tentatively walked toward it, then yelled in glee when he saw its contents.

"Thank you, lords of this hotel!" Tord shouted. "For gracing us with medical supplies!" He delved into the room, pulling out as much as he could. Edd and Tom picked up whatever he tossed out. Tord finally exited, holding several supplies. He had grabbed more than enough, just in case. He started heading down the hallway as Matt instructed, leading them to where they would hopefully find Valentino. Finally, they reached the room. Tord forcefully pulled the door open and flinched, taken aback by the sight.

"What the fuck," Tom breathed. Even Matt mumbled a curse at the sight.

Valentino was slumped against a corner, completely unconscious. His arms were spread out in front of him, the cuts clearly visible. His head was facing downward, making it impossible for anyone to see his face. Blood was staining the floor around him. Tord ran in, immediately crouching next to Valentino and checking his head for any signs of injury. Edd, Tom, and Matt followed him in, settling themselves at random places.

"Alright." Tord sighed. "I know you guys don't like taking orders from anyone, but this is serious. I have two patients and I'm the only doctor here. Valentino's case is more serious and needs to be taken care of by the professional here, but Matt also has a serious cut that could become infected and I need that taken care of as well. So, Tom, you're gonna be my helper and take care of Matt, because I know Edd is skittish around blood and all that. Matt, you damn well let Tom help you, because I'm not letting you die so easily, and also answer any questions about what happened. Edd, hand me and Tom any supplies we ask for. Is that clear?"

The three let out sounds of agreement in unison.

"Alright, then!" Tord clapped his hands together. "Tom, first thing you need to do is disinfect that wound. I have some sort of antibacterial cream and I think hydrogen peroxide in that pile there, Edd. Get him a few rags, gauze pads, medical tape, and maybe a few q-tips. The rag is for spreading the disinfectant and cleaning the wound, gauze pad helps with the excessive bleeding, medical tape holds that sucker in place, and a q-tip can get the hydrogen peroxide out if you need it. Got that? Okay."

"What about all this blood on my hands?" Matt inquired. "I don't like it."

"You can clean that off later," Tord responded. "What you need to worry about right now is not bleeding out from that gash. Did Valentino cut himself anywhere other than his arms?"

"His hands, too," Matt answered. "All I saw were those cuts, but he might've done more..."

Tord sighed and tried to pull Valentino's sleeve up farther. He didn't find any cuts above Valentino's forearm, so he moved on to Valentino's legs. Again, he didn't find anything. He mumbled an apology and pulled Valentino's sweater up, checking his stomach and chest for any cuts. All he found were stretch marks and old scars.

"What the hell are you doing over there?" Tom questioned.

"My job," Tord said simply.

"Looking up men's shirts counts as your job?" Tom was clearly trying to joke, but Tord wasn't in the mood.

"I'm looking for injuries, idiot," Tord replied. "Shut up and worry about your own damn job right now. Edd, did you take all the- oh, here it is." Tord pulled out a disinfectant and rubbed it over Valentino's cuts with a rag, trying to clean them of blood and make sure they didn't get infected. He then pulled out a roll of gauze and took a long strip from it, wrapping it tightly over Valentino's arm. He did the same with the other arm, then used more gauze to dress the wounds on Valentino's hands. He made a sort of fingerless glove on each of Valentino's arms, then stepped back from his work and sighed in relief. He turned back to check on Tom's work, noticing he was having trouble with the medical tape and gauze pad. Tord snorted and headed over there, taking over and quickly fixing Matt's wound.

"Wow," Edd breathed. "You're really good at this."

"It's always good to have a medic on your team," Tord replied.

"It's almost like we're in some sort of survival horror," Tom joked.

"Heh, I guess," Tord said. "Okay, now we can clean your hands."

"Finally," Matt commented.

Tord laughed and went back for a rag and poured some disinfectant on it. He then walked back to Matt and handed the rag to him. Matt gently rubbed the rag over his hands, hardly getting any of the quickly-drying blood off. Tord rolled his eyes and grabbed the rag from him, scrubbing the blood off of Matt's hands quickly. Matt cried out in pain from the stinging sensation, but Tord only reminded him that this was the easiest way to get it off. Matt went quiet after that. Finally, everything was done. Tord put all the supplies in a pile and moved it to the side. He looked around, hoping that everything was taken care of.

"Does Valentino still have the knife?" Matt asked.

"I didn't notice anything in his pockets," Tord responded. He checked the room once more, then spotted the weapon tossed over by another wall. "There it is." He scooped it up, heading back over to the supplies to grab a rag and disinfectant. He cleaned the blade of all the blood, then put the knife in his own pocket to avoid Valentino getting his hands on it again.

"Will he wake up soon?" Edd suddenly inquired. He sounded concerned.

"I hope so," Tord said. He moved closer to Valentino, checking his airways and heartbeat. "His vital signs are all there. He just passed out from loss of blood." He suddenly averted his gaze. "But if something does happen, I'm making someone else do the CPR."

"Why? You're the medical professional here," Tom retorted.

"That'd just be uncomfortable for him if he woke up to me practically kissing him," Tord replied.

"Doesn't it matter more that he makes it out alive instead of his comfort?" Matt muttered.

"I'm joking, God," Tord scoffed. "If anything happens, I'll be here to do the work. You guys are my nurses."

The four of them laughed, then decided to get comfortable while they waited here. Tord sat crouched in front of Valentino, checking him periodically to make sure he was okay. Edd sat next to Valentino, looking at him with a concerned expression. Tom sat against a wall, only a few feet away from where Tord was. Matt stood next to him, staring at Valentino's collapsed figure with hurt and sadness. He didn't know what to think, say, or do. He just hoped Valentino would be okay.

Finally, Valentino began to stir. He held his head, groaning in pain. His eyes were shut tightly, but he soon opened them and took in his surroundings. His vision was still blurry, but Tord came into focus and he flinched.

"Hey, kid," Tord greeted. "Glad you're finally awake."

"Wha...?" Valentino didn't finish his sentence. He looked around, then suddenly noticed his arm. He held it out in front of him, studying the gauze. "You...helped me?"

"Of course," Tord said. "We wouldn't let you die here."

Valentino stared at him in bewilderment, but his expression soon changed to happiness. He looked at everyone happily, until his gaze fell upon Matt. His expression then turned to fear. The ginger stared at Valentino, emotionless. However, his blue eyes were cold and held every emotion that his face didn't tell. Valentino flinched, shrinking back.

"Well, hello to you, too," he mumbled.

Matt didn't reply; he just stared.

Valentino wrapped his arms around himself, seething from the pain. He muttered, "Guess it really would've been better if I just died here."

"Why?" Matt asked.

"Because he hates me," Valentino answered.

"Don't talk about me as if I'm not here," Matt replied.

Valentino flinched again, shivering now. "Y-You hate me."

Matt glared at Valentino. "What makes you think that?"

"T-Tom said you don't trust me..."

"Just because I don't trust you doesn't mean I hate you. If I hated you, would I have come back for you to make sure you were okay and also alert the others that you were dying of blood loss and therefore saved your life?"

Valentino didn't look at Matt, though he felt his piercing gaze. "You were using me..."

"I just want to know the truth, Tino."

Valentino didn't know why, but hearing his nickname come out of Matt's mouth again suddenly hurt.

Matt continued, "I know that I was being stupid earlier and I'm so sorry for that, but you can't blame me. I'm scared here and this place messes with my head just like it does yours. But I know that you know more than we do, and I want to know what you know."

Valentino didn't answer. He stared off into nothingness, not knowing what to do.

"Look at me, Tino."

Valentino slowly met Matt's eyes, tears forming.

"Tell us the truth."

"I don't know anything."

Matt's gaze turned hard. "Don't deny it. You're so suspicious, and I want us to be able to travel around here without being paranoid of what you might do or what you might know. Please, just tell us."

Tears fell from Valentino's eyes. "I c-can't," he choked out.

"Why not?" Matt clenched his teeth together, angry and impatient.

Valentino averted his gaze for a split second, then realized he might make Matt angry and looked back at him. He responded, "Do you remember, after the second round of deaths, when you all found me in that room? You asked how I hid the door, and I told you that if I told you the answer, none of us would make it out of here alive. That holds true for now, as well. I cannot tell you what I know, b-because you four would die."

"How are you so sure of that?" Matt kept eye contact with Valentino, making the brunet nervous.

Silence and tension filled the air. Tord and Edd looked from Valentino to Matt, then back to Valentino. Tom stared at everyone, wondering what was going to happen. Matt continued glaring at Valentino. The brunet trembled, hugging himself and trying to keep calm. Edd finally put a reassuring hand on Valentino's shoulder.

"Hey, you're alright," Edd comforted. "You don't have to tell us if you don't want to."

"I w-want to tell you the truth," Valentino mumbled. "I want to tell you e-everything, but...they're listening."

Edd raised an eyebrow. "Who's listening?"

Valentino shook his head in response. He was grasping his head as if it were in pain. In truth, he was trying to restrain his mind from remembering that horrible night. However, physically holding his head wasn't helping at all.

"Valentino, are you alright?" Edd inquired.

Valentino lifted his face to look at Edd and gasped. His eyes widened upon seeing Edd not as himself, but as a figure made entirely of paint strokes. He had no face, as well. His hand was on Valentino's shoulder, but somehow, Valentino didn't feel anything there. He knew Edd was there and touching him, but he felt nothing. He looked around the room, terrified at the sight. Everyone was made of these paint strokes. They all stared at him, faceless, judging him without eyes. They reached out towards him. Even though their hands were not touching him, Valentino still felt them all over him. He felt sick and dizzy. He didn't know what was going on. He heard their voices, all overlapping, but nobody was talking. He saw them all in front of him, knew they were there, but he was also completely alone. He felt the hands all over him, but looked down and saw nothing. He tried desperately to brush the feeling away, but it was still there, making him so uncomfortable. He had a sudden sense of deja vu, as if he had felt this feeling before. However, like an unfinished circuit, he didn't have the last bit of information to remember.

Valentino shut his eyes tightly, not wanting to look at everything around him. When he opened his eyes again, he was suddenly in a dark room. The room seemed so familiar to him, but it was spinning and swaying around him, making it hard for him to make out the details. The door opened and light poured in, making him squint. A figure stood there and walked towards him, closing the door behind them. Valentino felt a buzzing in his brain and everything spun. He felt dizzy and nauseous and tired, but somehow felt like this wasn't reality. That whatever was happening was made-up, some sort of dream. He suddenly wondered if everything was a dream. Was he a figment of imagination? Was anything that had happened real? 

Valentino felt scared, and he heard a voice calling out to him. It spoke softly and sweetly, in a low tone, but he couldn't make out what it was saying. He felt a sudden weight on his body, and he couldn't move despite not being restrained. He heard his own voice, slurring something, but he didn't feel his lips moving. It was like he wasn't even there. He heard the other voice, so calm and inviting, whispering hotly into his ear. He felt uncomfortable about this whole ordeal he was in, but didn't know why. Nothing was happening to him, yet everything was happening to him. He felt those same phantom hands sliding up his sides and pulling up his shirt, yet he saw nothing of the sort happening. He wanted to stop it, but he still found himself unable to move. He wanted to scream, but he couldn't. He desperately wanted this all to stop, but nothing happened. It was like he was in sleep paralysis, but it all felt more like a memory than a nightmare.

"Valentino!" someone shouted.

Suddenly, the whole world dissipated and Valentino was back in reality. He was breathing heavily and his throat felt raw, but he didn't remember what he had been doing. He looked around, relieved to see everyone normal again, though they were looking very concerned. Edd looked close to tears.

"What happened to you?" Tom questioned.

"I...don't really know," Valentino answered. "It was like...you guys were all paint strokes and suddenly I was in this spinning room and someone was talking to me and..." He shivered. "...touching me and I couldn't move or talk and I wanted it all to stop..."

"You don't remember anything that you just did?" Tord asked.

"No..." Valentino stared at him. "What did I do?"

"At first, you were just making really confused sounds, then you kept saying stuff like no and stop it over and over again," Tom explained. "And we couldn't get you out of it. We kept calling your name and Edd even shook you, but you didn't do anything."

"It was like one of those memory spells you get," Matt responded. "Only, it sounds like this was much worse."

"I do not even know if this was a memory," Valentino remarked. "It felt familiar, but I could not remember when it had happened, if at all..."

"You really confuse me sometimes," Tom admitted. "With all this memory stuff and acting weird and shit. Is that just a normal thing for you?"

Valentino sighed and averted his gaze. "Do you really want me to try and explain everything?"

"It would be nice to know, so we can try and help you out," Edd said.

Valentino nodded. "Alright. I will warn you, I am not the best at explaining things. Also, this will be a very long and detailed explanation of everything, so please try to listen, or you will get lost." He wrung his hands together. "I suppose I will start by saying...my brain is not wired the same way as yours. When you get a sudden memory, you shrug it off and go back to what you are doing, yes? However, when I get one, it is like I am being transported back to that entire place, and everything in reality stops and I am nowhere but this memory. I know that there are other things happening around me, but I do not pay attention to them, nor do I even know what I am doing in real life while the memory is going on. I prefer to compare it to a flashback scene from a cartoon, except the bystanders do not see the flashback, only me standing there having a sudden freakout or what appears to be a seizure. To tell the truth, they have led to people calling ambulances for me sometimes. They are a terrible thing that I hate dealing with.

"Then, there are the thoughts. A normal person with some intrusive thoughts will realize they are not real and go back to what they are doing, but they affect me more than most. The thoughts always come alongside the memories, and sometimes on their own, the combination is very hurtful. They tell me all these things about the memory to make me feel bad. For example, a memory of me making a small mistake will lead to thoughts telling me how much of a pathetic failure I am. I try to ignore it, but they keep pressing onward and onward and they fill my head and it is like nothing else is there but them and I can only pay attention to them. Like the memories, they make me stop completely and only stay in the little reality where they reside, and I do not realize what I am doing in the real world.

"The last few things actually deal with interactions with people. I am terrible at interpreting people's words and actions correctly. If someone hurts me on accident, I always believe they did it on purpose. If someone were to say, 'I would rather work alone' or something of the sort, I hear it as, 'I despise you and never want to see you here again.' If someone said, 'I am fine on my own, but thank you for the offer,' I hear, 'You are a pathetic failure and never worth my time, please kill yourself so I do not have to deal with your ugly existence anymore.' It seems like a bit of an exaggeration, but I truly cannot take anyone's words positively. I always have that doubt somewhere in my head, and it ends up ruining every relationship I have."

Valentino looked up, stopping his speech for a second. Everyone stared back at him, listening intently. He smiled faintly, then continued.

"As you have experienced already, I am a very sensitive and emotional person. People's words and actions affect me greatly. When I crash, I crash hard. If I find out that someone has hurt me, I feel completely broken. That broken feeling translates into either pain, numbness, or both. Usually I feel a throbbing pain in my heart and numbness everywhere else, but sometimes the pain spreads or the numbness envelops me. That feeling is worse than anything I could ever imagine. That feeling of nothingness, like all emotions have escaped you, is so great that it leads me to do things I would never consider doing if I was actually normal. It makes me binge to feel happy again, or it makes me cut so I can feel something that is not nothingness. Pain is better than that numb feeling. And if I am experiencing great pain, I put more pain onto myself to try and feel numb again. It is a vicious cycle.

"In those feelings of numbness, I do the same thing that happens with the memories and thoughts. Everything seems to fall apart around me. I know people are there, talking and maybe even trying to contact me, but nobody exists. I know there is sound everywhere, but all I hear is silence. It is horrible, to know that reality is there but you are just out of reach of it. And then there are the feelings of heaviness and lightness. Sometimes, I feel like an obstacle stuck to the ground. I am in everyone's way, a nuisance to all mankind, and everyone hates me. Other times, I feel like air, as if I am completely invisible and do not exist at all. Both times, I feel as if everyone is better without me and that I can be easily replaced. That leads to more of the pain and numbness, and the binging and the cutting and the alcohol and everything..."

Valentino sighed. "I do not know how to deal with this anymore. Back when I had medication, it just made me feel like a lump of sadness. I could hardly do anything other than sleep and I had no motivation. It also made me very absent-minded, so I would forget everything, even to eat. Now, I feel like an outcast, always treated badly for being born with these kinds of problems. I know no other way to make me feel better than to eat and cut and drink." Tears came to Valentino's eyes once again. "I don't want to rely on those anymore. I want to do something healthy, so I don't have to cause pain to myself to feel happier. I don't want to keep faking everything for the good of other people. I just...I just want to be normal, or find some way of coping that won't destroy me." He wiped his tears away with his arm, but didn't say any more.

The four were silent for a long time. Matt kept looking at Valentino with a strange expression that Valentino could not name with an emotion. Finally, Matt looked away and sighed.

"It sounds like you need someone who'll always be there for you and cheer you up, huh?" Matt inquired.

"I guess," Valentino replied. "I do not know what will help me anymore."

"Well." Matt walked over to Valentino, crouching down to his level. "I think what'll help you most right now is us."

To everyone's surprise, Matt grabbed Valentino and pulled him into a tight hug. Valentino let out a surprised squeal, but didn't do anything other than that. Matt hugged him tighter, and Valentino hesitantly put his arms around Matt as well. Matt patted Valentino's back, making the brunet worry about whether he was making Matt uncomfortable or not.

"Wh-Why are you-" Valentino tried to ask, but Matt cut him off.

"Shush." Matt sounded forceful, but gentle. His next words were spoken in a soothing tone and mumbled next to Valentino's face. "I want to help you. I'm sorry about everything I did earlier. I really do care about you and I don't want to see you so upset anymore. I do want you to be more honest and less mysterious with us, but I know it'll take time for you to open up to us like that. Please, always know that we're here for you to listen and try to make things better. After all..." Matt moved his face away so he could look at Valentino. He cupped the brunet's face in his hands.

"We're making it out of here together, right?" Matt smiled.

Valentino stared at him in bewilderment, his mouth agape. However, his expression quickly changed to joy and he wrapped his arms around Matt's neck, forcing him into a sudden hug that almost knocked the ginger over. Matt hugged him back, laughing.

"Hey, how come we don't get to join in the hug party?" Tord inquired.

Valentino groaned into Matt's chest and moved his face away, staring at Tord with a happy look but tears in his eyes. He wiped the tears away and crawled out of Matt's arms to give the red-hooded man a hug as well. Edd then pulled Valentino out of Tord's arms and hugged him as well, laughing with him. Tom averted his eyes, crossing his arms, but Valentino jumped out of Edd's arms and crashed into him, knocking them both to the ground. Everyone laughed and they soon stood up, ready to leave this dreaded room.

"Well, I really should get going," Valentino said. "I...want to thank my brothers for the food and all. I would feel like a jerk if I did not."

"Do we really have to split up so soon?" Edd whined.

"Trust me, it would be best to get out of this gloomy room and into more positive areas," Valentino replied. "Plus, I am sure you all are sick of me at the moment."

They laughed together and Valentino turned to leave, but stopped.

"I am so glad I met you all," Valentino admitted. "I do not know where I would be without you."

"We're glad we can help," Tom responded.

Valentino turned and walked over to Matt, pulling him into another hug. He held onto him tightly, seeming as if he never wanted to let go.

"Thank you, Matty," he mumbled into Matt's chest. "For everything."

"Anything for a friend," Matt remarked. He patted Valentino on the back once more and the brunet let go of him. However, he suddenly grabbed Matt's face, making the ginger wonder what was wrong.

"Do not freak out," Valentino demanded. He grabbed the makeshift bandage still plastered to Matt's cheek and pulled it off in one swift motion. The ginger cried out in pain, ready to ask why he did that, when Valentino dug his fingertips softly into Matt's cheeks. Valentino stared into Matt's eyes and some sort of otherworldly matter passed over them - or at least, that's all that Matt could describe it as. Once that happened, Matt felt a numbing in his face and red rose petals began drifting by. Soon, Valentino let go of him and Matt immediately put his fingers to his cheek, noticing that the gash was completely healed. He stared at Valentino in awe, who giggled and put his finger to his lips.

"Let us keep that a secret," Valentino whispered. He waved his hand in goodbye and hurried out of the room.

Matt stared at the door to the room, still in shock about what just happened. The other three stared as well, then turned to look at each other. Matt shrugged at them, and as if the same thought all passed through their heads, they laughed.


	27. Brothers In Arms

"Alright, pop quiz time."

"Aw, not this again..."

Mars, Rome, and Warrior were walking through the dim halls of the hotel, going nowhere in particular but still on a mission. Warrior, to pass the time, decided to test his older brothers' smarts.

"If you went back in time and killed your grandfather," Warrior asked, "what would happen?"

"Fuck off with this paradox shit, would ya?" Rome questioned.

"Just answer it," Warrior shot back.

"Well, you wouldn't exist, right?" Mars replied.

"Yes, but do you realize the problem here?"

"Uh...well if you never existed in the first place, you couldn't go back in time and kill your grandfather?" Mars phrased his answer like a question.

Warrior nodded approvingly, letting loose a rare smile. "Exactly. Now, next question..."

Rome groaned and Warrior glared at him.

"You know, you wouldn't be so pissy about this whole thing if you didn't have muscles in place of your brain," Warrior sneered.

"The brain is a muscle, dimwit," Rome replied.

"Actually, while the brain acts very much like a muscle, it is classified as an organ," Warrior corrected. "It can, however, grow like a muscle if you actually train it the right way with knowledge and facts. You have not done any of that, I see."

"Why the hell are you talking all prissy like Valentino?" Mars suddenly cut in.

"Because I'm proving a point that I'm better than you when it comes to intelligence," Warrior responded.

"God, you're so self-centered," Rome retorted.

"Not at all," Warrior said. "You have placed every medal you've ever won all up around your room and shown it off to everyone who comes around, bragging about everything you've done. You're so cocky - no pun intended - that you end up ruining yourself with your own self-confidence. I, however, understand that I cannot always be perfect, but rather that it is my nature to always be perfect. It's in my blood, but clearly did not transfer into yours."

Rome held his head in one hand and growled. "I can't stand you," he muttered. "Why did I agree to this?"

"Mars isn't any better," Warrior began. "He's so hopeless, focusing only on his image and his strength. However, he doesn't realize how much it hurts others and himself. After all, he nearly got his youngest brother killed more than once and pretty much ruined his reputation that one day he decided not to tell the truth."

Warrior's words clearly struck a nerve in Mars, but the redhead didn't look back at him as he replied with, "We don't talk about that anymore."

"Aw, you aren't gonna own up to your mistakes?" Warrior jeered. "I thought you'd be braver than that, Mars. You should really admit that you made a horrible mistake by getting into that fight with you-know-who and never telling the truth to poor little Valentino about the whole night. Otherwise, she wouldn't have told all those lies to everyone."

Mars still didn't turn around, but Warrior could hear his teeth clenching together as he answered, "Would you prefer if I had left him to be traumatized for life?"

"I would have preferred if you had just told him the truth in the first place or maybe told the whole story to the school, since they would believe you over that chick any day," Warrior said. "That way, your kid brother's reputation would still be intact and he never would've been suspended. But I guess it doesn't matter now, since he's starting to remember it already."

At that, Mars swiftly turned around, looking scared and anxious. "He's r-remembering it?"

Warrior nodded. "Didn't you feel it earlier?"

Mars shook his head. "How much has he remembered? Does he know...?"

Warrior tilted his head to think, then shook it. "Nah. All he remembers are voices and some touchy stuff, but nothing about who was involved. It's only a matter of time, though."

Mars sighed, clenching his fists. A mixture of emotions crossed over his face: anger, regret, worry, even hurt. He just stared at the ground, unsure of what to do.

"Mars," Rome suddenly said, making the redhead look up. "Don't drop your guard like that."

"Huh?" Mars tilted his head, confused.

Rome gestured to Mars's arms. Lightning-like patterns were streaking up them, looking as blue as his veins. They seemed to go erratically, with no direction, but Mars knew the pattern like the back of his hand. It was a familiar thing that he had seen for over a decade now. He let out a sound that was a mixture of a frustrated sigh and a growl. He turned away and started walking again, remarking, "It doesn't really matter that much if they see it anyways."

"What are you saying?" Rome ran to catch up with him, Warrior tagging close behind. "They could figure out everything because of those!"

Mars shrugged. "I could make up a story. Plus, Valentino's revealed enough already for them to be okay with the whole scars thing."

"Okay..." Rome put his hand up to the wall and dragged it across as he walked. Behind his hand, a streak of color streamed across the wall. It followed his hand, growing wider the farther away it got. Mars glanced behind him and noticed the strange phenomenon.

"So you berate me for the whole scar thing and yet here you are doing all this magic mojo shit?" Mars asked.

"Well, you aren't concerned with it," Rome answered. "So why does it matter?"

Warrior nodded in agreement. ''Might as well just go all-out, like Valentino does." He stretched his arms out and the floor rearranged its pattern. It also changed the material completely. He sighed happily and continued walking, the floor changing with every step he took.

"How far does that stuff go?" Mars groaned.

"As long as I want it to," Warrior replied simply. "Relax. Nobody's gonna see."

"Yeah, everyone avoids us like the plague," Rome added. "Speaking of that, why does everyone avoid us so much?"

"They're scared of us," Mars said. He glanced at Rome. "You know exactly why they're scared, as well."

"Even Valentino's scared of us," Warrior cut in. "The only people not too scared of us are Edd, Tom, Matt, and Tord, but that's only because they're stubborn and naive. Like every other human on this miserable planet."

"He wasn't so scared of us that one time," Rome reminded them.

"He was shaking so much that I could hardly fathom how his legs were still keeping him upright," Warrior retorted. "He was especially fearful afterwards."

"Can we not talk about this?" Mars asked, suddenly quiet. The lightning marks on his arms moved further, going past his shoulders now. "It makes me sick to remember it..."

"Every creature is sickened by their own mistakes," Warrior responded. "Own up to them and forget the past."

"You guys joined in it!" Mars shouted.

"Yeah, but I don't regret it one bit!" Rome sang. "We taught him a good lesson, and now he won't tell anyone the truth!~"

"This is getting painful..." Mars mumbled. As if on cue, the vein-like patterns on his skin moved even further, traveling down his back. He let out a stifled hiss of pain.

"I have something to help distract you," Warrior chimed in. "This statement is false."

"Uhh, true?" Rome guessed.

Warrior shook his head, smiling slightly.

"So it's false?" Rome asked.

Warrior shook his head once more. "It's impossible to be either choice."

"Explain," Mars said.

"Well, the statement is saying that it's false. If it were actually false, then it would be true, thereby making it false but also true at the same time. If it were instead true, then it would have to be false, thereby making it false and true at the same time. It's a paradox."

"This is just making me hurt more," Mars hissed.

"Only because your brain can't process something that contradicts itself," Warrior shot back.

"Yeah, well you can eat my entire ass!" Mars shouted.

Warrior and Rome nearly stopped in their tracks, both surprised. "What?" they said in unison.

"I said," Mars continued, teeth grinding together, "fucking choke to death from eating my entire ass!"

"I kinda did that already, buddy, though with a different method," Warrior muttered.

Rome, not hearing Warrior's comment, spat, "That's disgusting."

Warrior nodded in silent agreement. Mars muttered something about it being a joke, then suddenly stopped. The other two nearly crashed into him, staring down at whatever he had spotted.

A little teddy bear stood in the middle of the hallway, staring up at them with innocent button eyes. It looked childlike, hardly taller than about a foot. It tilted its head, and its eyes seemed to stare straight through them. In a robotic child voice, it said, "Target found."

Mars glanced over at Rome and Warrior, snapping his fingers urgently. They got the message immediately, turning the wall and floor back to normal. The three of them headed over to the teddy bear. Mars crouched down and picked it up to listen to what it had to say better.

"What's up, Quince?" Rome asked the bear.

"Mistress Krittle has a recorded message for you," the teddy bear told them.

"Tell us," Mars ordered.

"Yes, sir. Activating recorded message..."

Krittle's voice suddenly came through the bear's bow tie, as it acted as a speaker.

"Attention, attention! I hope this damn bear got the instructions to the right person, but listen up. So I think I know what Valentino is. I'm not sure yet, but he's been acting weird lately and doing that same magic mojo shit that you guys do."

Mars snorted, picking up on the fact that he and Krittle referred to the illusions as the same thing.

"Anyways," Krittle's voice continued, "if he is what I think he is, I have a plan. Please, come to meet with me to explain what's going on and I can tell you my brilliant plan! It'll give us all the power we so need as well as expose this man-stealing hunk of junk for good. It'll be the best thing ever, as made by me, the best person ever. Okay, bye now!"

"That is the end of the recorded message," the teddy bear finished. "Shall I report back to Mistress Krittle?"

"Yeah, and tell her I'm not listening to her goddamn plan or telling her anything if she's not smart enough to figure it out herself," Mars snapped. "Be on your little merry way now, Quincy." He dropped the bear, which made a monotone "Ow" as it hit the ground. It slowly got back up and waddled away, supposedly back to the dolls where Krittle resided. Mars sighed and started walking as well.

"Why aren't we going to see her?" Warrior inquired, following behind him.

"Because she's a whiny brat and I don't want to stroke her ego by listening to her plan," Mars responded. "Plus, I hate hearing all her rants about how she'll never get her precious Matt or anything. And I don't want to explain the stuff about this hotel or what Valentino is, other than fucking gay."

"Personally, I think Valentino's a better fit for that redhead idiot," Rome chimed in.

"Really?" Warrior looked at Rome like he had grown two heads. "Obviously, Tom is the best fit for him. They have their similarities, but enough differences to keep it interesting. They're perfect for each other."

"Oh my god, guys, now's not the time to play matchmaker," Mars groaned. "And Tord's the best person for him anyways."

"They're complete opposites!" Rome objected.

"Exactly," Mars said. "Everyone knows the enemies get together at the end and have hate sex."

"That's gross," Warrior commented.

"But it's the truth," Mars retorted. "I'm kind of surprised none of you considered Edd, though. They're both, like...sweet, I guess is the term?"

"He's very obviously not interested in relationships," Warrior said. "Haven't you seen inside his head? He's been through some abusive shit. I'm just respecting him."

Mars shrugged, then suddenly stopped again, staring up at a door. "Oh, look, the library. We can discuss stuff in peace here." He pushed open the heavy doors, the other two following close behind him. However, they heard voices upon entering.

"...look here," a familiar voice was saying. "This shelf is full of paranormal stuff! It's awesome!"

Mars, Rome, and Warrior peeked down the aisles of bookshelves to notice a glimpse of red. Tord.

"What kind of information does it have here?" another voice questioned. Mars recognized it as Edd.

"It's all about ghosts and mythical creatures and other cryptids," Tord explained. "I found this one book that explains everything there is to know about ghosts and illusions and shit. It'll be our best asset here. I'm thinking of maybe taking it and just keeping it along for the ride."

Mars frowned. Warrior glanced up at him, mouthing, "Isn't that stealing?" Mars nodded, gesturing them to follow him as he walked forward. They snuck up to another bookshelf, hiding behind it and looking out from it to see the other four more closely.

"Does it have books on all those rituals and other stories I read?" a voice that the three knew immediately as Matt's inquired.

"Yep, and it actually has facts," Tord answered. "Oh, and get this!" Tord ran down the aisle, stopping at the very last bookshelf. The other three followed him, as well as the unnoticed brothers behind them. "This place has a bunch of diaries."

"Whose diaries are they?" Tom questioned.

"I'm pretty sure they're Valentino's," Tord said.

Mars stiffened.

"After all, they all use that prestigious formal talk he uses, and they're all signed with V. V. R. R. at the end. The only person I know who talks like that and has a name starting with V is Valentino." Tord pulled one of the diaries from the shelf. "Here, take this for example." He read the entry aloud.

"29th June, 2007

Dear Diary,

It is my nineteenth birthday...again."

Tord frowned, but continued reading.

"I did the same thing I do every birthday now. I sat in that same room with my same old brothers. We did not talk. We did not move. We sat there in complete silence for the entire day. It was comforting, in a way, to have their company. It was better to have them there with me than torturing the people here like they usually do.

However, it started storming in the middle of the day. Mars was afraid of the lightning, but I was able to comfort him. I still kept our pact, or truce, or whatever you would like to call it. It was difficult to accomplish, but it was funny. Instead of me crying for twenty-four hours and them hugging me, Mars was crying for the better part of the day and I had to hug him to calm him down. Soon, the storm passed and he was okay again. At the stroke of midnight, they left, going back to what they call their jobs. I suppose they work like clockwork.

I just do not want my birthday to be like this for the rest of my days.

Yours, V. V. R. R."

The room went deathly silent upon the closure of the entry. Mars, Rome, and Warrior couldn't see the others very well, but guessed that they looked shocked. Mars silently cursed Valentino for putting such an embarrassing fact about himself in his diary, his anger bubbling up to the surface. Warrior silently cursed him for putting too much information in the entry, which could lead the others to finding out the truth easily.

"What...does he mean by again?" Matt asked tenatively.

"Is he lying about his age?" Tom questioned.

"Don't ask me!" Tord yelled. "I know just as much as you do about this."

Suddenly, Mars's anger burst out of him. "That damn traitor!" he screamed. He plunged a fist into the bookshelf across from him, somehow not completely knocking it over. He took deep breaths, the lightning patterns spreading even further across his body and turning more red than blue now.

"Wh-Who was that?" Matt stammered.

"Way to go, Mars," Rome grumbled.

"How are we supposed to confront them when your face is covered in those markings?" Warrior whisper-shouted.

"We'll just lie about it," Mars growled, wincing at the pain. "It'll be fine."

"You sure know how to lie," Warrior said, rolling his eyes.

Edd, Tom, Matt, and Tord had now arrived at the bookshelf they were hiding behind, surprised to see them. Their eyes widened and Edd took a step back, clearly anxious to be around them. Mars plastered on a fake smile at their appearance.

"What are you guys doing here?" Mars asked.

"I should be asking you three the same thing," Tord blurted out. "We're just here to check out the books. I wanted to show them all the information here. But you..."

"Are you stalking us?!" Matt screeched.

Mars let out a forced laugh. "No, no, we were just here to find a book we needed. But, we found it, so we gotta go, right guys?" He turned to his brothers and nodded, hoping they would catch on.

"You guys aren't even holding any books," Tom pointed out.

"Uh, well, that's just because, we, uh..." Mars searched for an answer.

"We got Valentino to take it for us!" Rome shouted.

"Valentino's with you?" Matt sounded excited, but also worried.

"Hold on," Edd cut in. He pointed to Mars accusingly. "What's with all those scars on you?"

Mars cursed in his head. He was hoping they wouldn't notice it. "It's from the, uh...illusion death," he said.

"That is correct," Warrior agreed. He scratched at his neck, which was now suddenly sporting dark bruises. He figured if they were to lie, he should at least make it convincing. 

"But those were a while ago," Edd argued. "And I don't remember seeing them earlier when we were talking to you..." He stared at the markings, looking disturbed.

"You just have bad memory," Warrior concluded, before they could try and argue any further. Just as one of them was about to say something, a person slammed the door open and rushed inside.

"Alright, which one of you fucknuggets called me a brat?!" Krittle screamed. She realized Matt was present and quickly shut her mouth, standing frozen. "Uh, h-hey, guys!" she stammered, suddenly awkward.

"What the hell is going on?" Tom muttered.

"Why does it matter if your sliver of self-esteem was hurt by a simple insult?" Warrior inquired. "You're utterly pathetic anyways. We don't want to deal with you."

Krittle frowned. "I'm not pathetic. I thought of a great plan for you guys!"

"I'm sure the plan only ends in you getting to turn Matt into a mannequin," Rome sighed. "Come on, you guys, let's get out of here." He started walking over to the other side to get away from Krittle.

"Hey, I'm not done with you yet!" Krittle ran up and blocked their path. "What's with all those weird marks on you? Quincy didn't tell me about them!"

"Who's Quincy?" Matt questioned.

"Shut the hell up!" Mars, Rome, Warrior, and even Krittle shouted in unison.

Matt shrank back, mumbling an apology.

"You know what happened," Mars growled, turning his attention back to Krittle.

"No, actually, I don't." Krittle pointed her finger to accentuate the point. "I know about as much as these guys do. Why do all the other ghosts know, but I don't?"

"Because you willingly turned yourself over to those doll creeps and allowed yourself to be brainwashed," Warrior replied dryly.

"I'm not brainwashed!" Krittle cried. Tears were pricking at her eyes, most likely from anger. "I've asked them what happened to me but they won't tell me! I know that you know and I just wanna know why I'm here!" She stomped her feet on the floor. "I wanna know why all of this is happening! I wanna know why I don't remember anything, and I wanna know why I hate a man I don't even know, and I wanna know why I'm being forced to go along with all of this!"

"We don't know anything," Rome responded.

"You know everything!" Krittle shouted. "Tell me, please!" The tears finally slid down her cheeks. "I just wanna go home! I want my real self back and my real name back! I...I want to be alive again..." Krittle collapsed onto the floor, sobbing into her hands. Mars glared down at her, not feeling any remorse for the _creature_. Rome and Warrior stepped away, heading towards the exit now that Krittle wasn't a problem. Mars, however, stayed behind, crouching down to Krittle's level.

"You came here knowing full well what you were in for," Mars hissed. "You have nobody to blame this on but yourself. If you want to go home so badly, why don't you turn back time and reverse your mistakes?"

"Come on, Rover, we gotta go," Rome called.

Mars glared, but stood up and walked towards him anyways.

"That's a good boy!" Rome went so far as to even clap his hands on his knees, as if Mars really were a dog.

"I swear to fucking God, Rome," Mars grumbled, "stop with the dog treatment."

"Hey, you're the one with the cliché dog name for a middle name," Rome explained, turning towards the exit.

"It's for Mars rovers!" Mars cried, indignant. "Not dogs!"

"Mars rovers didn't even exist when you were born," Warrior pointed out.

Mars pouted, his face red from embarrassment. "You guys are dicks," he mumbled, leaving the library with them. The three brothers walked down the hall together, finally remembering what they were walking aimlessly for when they saw a familiar figure at the end of the hall.

"Valentino!" Mars yelled, running over to his youngest brother. "We've been looking all over for you!"

Valentino didn't even turn around. He stared off into nothingness, his arm leaning against the wall. He looked like he had been there for a while.

"V-Val...?" Mars sounded concerned. He noticed the gauze wrapped around Valentino's hands. "Wh-What's with the... Did you...?"

Valentino merely nodded. He stared down at the ground. Even though they couldn't see his face, they could tell he felt guilty.

"I want to thank you," Valentino said quietly. "For the food. And the message. I, um...I did not think you would actually be nice to me again, not to mention apologize."

Mars felt a weird, bubbly feeling in his heart. "Uh, you're welcome," he replied sheepishly.

Valentino raised his head to stop looking at the ground, but didn't look at his brothers. "What are you trying to trick them into?" he suddenly inquired.

"What?" Rome sounded confused.

"Why are you trying to make them trust you so badly?" Valentino sounded like he was forcing the words out of his mouth.

"We have to," Mars sighed.

"You do not have to keep doing this." Valentino was shaking now.

"Yes, we do," Rome told Valentino.

"You are the ones who are brainwashed, just like you accused that poor, innocent girl of being." Valentino's voice was quiet, but full of venom nonetheless. "She did nothing to deserve this. She just wanted to have fun in a haunted hotel. All of them did. But...you could not let them have their fun, could you?"

"Why are you defending someone who hates your guts?" Mars questioned.

Valentino smiled to himself. "I do not blame her," he mumbled. "I am a horrible, horrible person. She hates me and she does not even know why. She listens to everything they say about me, true or not. She listens to what you say." Valentino hung his head, clutching at his chest as if his heart was undergoing pain. "It is all like back then..." He slowly slid down the wall, collapsing onto his knees.

"Hey, hey, no no no no." Mars rushed over to Valentino, sitting in front of him. "Don't get upset again, please. Don't think about it. Don't get all, what's the word...disassociative? I don't know, just don't do it."

"It is not quite easy for me to not do it just because you order it upon me," Valentino muttered. He still didn't look up at his brother's face. "Why do you even care? All you ever do is torture me. All you care about is power and seeing the spilled blood of your victims, including my own."

Mars hung his head. "I care about you," he whispered, just loud enough for Valentino to hear.

Valentino didn't say anything. He just shook his head.

"Uh, hey," Rome called, "we got company!"

Mars and Valentino looked up to see a Feral walking out from the shadows. It snarled at them. Mars furrowed his brows, standing up to seem more intimidating.

"What are you doing here?" Mars questioned.

"I should ask the same of you, you pathetic creature!" the Feral shouted. "Look at you, protecting your own brother who ruins you daily! Why are you defending a useless worm who does nothing but cry and destroy himself?"

Mars growled. "Don't talk that way about my brother," he demanded, teeth clenched.

"You really only care about that _thing's_ honor?" the Feral cackled. It strode up to Valentino on soundless feet. "You're worthless! How can you even live with yourself?"

"I cannot," Valentino answered immediately. "I thought you already knew how much I want to erase myself from this existence."

"Well, then, why don't I do it for you?" The Feral snapped its jaws in the direction of Valentino's neck, but Mars reached out for the creature before it could hurt him. It dissipated into thin air, then appeared again beside Rome. "You missed!" it mocked.

"That's fine," Mars said coolly. "As long as you don't hurt my family."

"Aww, look at him, so defensive over his relatives." The Feral put on a sickly-sweet smile, pointed teeth showing through. "It makes me want to fucking puke!" An eruption of light suddenly poured through the hallway as the Feral summoned a strike of lightning from its tail. It cracked through the air, splintering the floor and leaving electricity bolting across the air and everything in between. Mars screamed, staggering backwards and collapsing into a heap on the ground. The Feral laughed again.

"Look at little Mars, scared of a little lightning!" it shouted. "What a baby."

Valentino scrambled up, eyes staring straight through the creature still mocking his brother. His eyes narrowed, turning purple for a split second. He pushed his palm against the wall to balance himself. Valentino ground his teeth together and growled in a voice that could freeze blood in its veins, "Don't hurt my fucking brother."

"What are you going to do to me if I don't listen to you?" the Feral asked.

"This," Valentino replied simply. He raised his arm, making his palm face the Feral.

"Oh, talking to the hand, such a horrible punishment." The Feral blew a raspberry.

Valentino smirked to himself. "Just how dangerous do you think I am?" he inquired.

"Not dangerous at all," the Feral answered.

Valentino's expression turned into an indescribable emotion, making him appear all the more intimidating. He said his next sentence slowly, in a voice that chilled even his brothers to the bone, to make sure the Feral understood every word.

"Then you're dead fucking wrong."

Valentino closed his hand painfully slowly. With each millimeter done, there was a popping or cracking sound coming from the Feral. Its bones were breaking right under its skin, completely without its control. It tried to scream, but its jaw broke off its hinges before it could do anything. Valentino's face created a delighted yet fiendish expression, looking satisfied at every new crack of the bones. When his hand finally closed fully, the creature was completely destroyed, only a lump of skin with bones crushed to dust. Rome and Warrior stared at the dead creature with wide eyes. They were stunned by Valentino's actions.

Valentino sighed, lowering his arm and crouching down to his collapsed brother. Mars was shaking violently, sobbing and holding his head in pain. Valentino hugged Mars, rubbing his back soothingly. He whispered reassuring words into Mars's ear, trying to calm him down. Mars held onto Valentino as if he would leave the ground if he didn't hold on tightly enough. He cried into Valentino's shoulder, unable to say anything or even breathe properly. Valentino continued holding him, prepared to do this for as long as he needed to. He would comfort his brother until the end of time if he had to.

Soon, Mars calmed down completely. He stopped shaking and his tears were drying. Valentino began pulling away, but Mars grabbed onto him tightly again. Valentino, although surprised, gladly accepted the hug.

"Why did you do this for me?" Mars whispered.

"Because you are my brother," Valentino answered just as quietly.

"But...I do so many horrible things to you," Mars argued.

"I will still love you just the same and forgive you every time," Valentino said.

"Why?" Mars asked.

Valentino chuckled, his warm breath tickling Mars's skin. "You know I cannot stay angry at anyone for a large amount of time," he explained. "Besides, I deserve it anyways."

"No, you don't," Mars retorted.

Valentino smiled. "You and I both know that is not true." He pulled away, making absolutely sure Mars was alright. He pressed a quick kiss to his brother's forehead and stood up, giving him his hand. Mars grabbed it and pulled himself up, still slightly shaky. Valentino looked at him, concerned, but Mars dismissed it.

"Alright, we should probably get going," Rome announced, still shaken by the experience.

Valentino nodded. "I do not want to bother you for long."

"Come on, you two," Warrior said. He was already standing at the edge of the hall where they needed to go. Rome walked over to him, but Mars turned back to Valentino.

"H-Hey, Val?" Mars grabbed Valentino's arm and held it up. "Don't, um...do this, okay?"

Valentino smiled sadly. "I cannot promise anything."

Mars nodded, looking upset. "I know." He turned to leave, but quickly turned back and kissed the top of Valentino's head, then ran off before Valentino could say anything. Valentino let out a short laugh, feeling blush rise to his cheeks, then waved to his brothers even though they couldn't see him. He turned back around, staring down the hallway.

"I cannot let them trust them," Valentino muttered to himself. "They will certainly die at their hands." He thought for a moment, pondering what to do.

"If only I could find a way to make them realize who will lead them to peace."


	28. Revealing

"Tord, where are you taking us?" Edd asked as they stopped at a set of large doors.

"This," Tord gestured to the doors, "is the library." He pushed them open and headed in, holding the door for the rest of them to walk in. They breathed out in awe, staring at the large amount of shelves all around them. They looked all around, wanting to figure out where everything was, what every book detailed.

"There's all sorts of books here," Tord explained. "Over there is all cooking, there's biographies, books of poems, novels, everything you could ever think of is here. Oh, and-" Tord ran over to a shelf near the back, the others following behind him. "-look here! This shelf is full of paranormal stuff! It's awesome!"

"What kind of information does it have here?" Edd questioned.

"It's all about ghosts and mythical creatures and other cryptids," Tord explained. "I found this one book that explains everything there is to know about ghosts and illusions and shit. It'll be our best asset here. I'm thinking of maybe taking it and just keeping it along for the ride."

"Does it have books on all those rituals and other stories I read?" Matt inquired. He sounded excited about the ordeal.

"Yep, and it actually has facts," Tord answered. "Oh, and get this!" Tord ran down the aisle, stopping at the very last bookshelf. The other three followed him, curious as to what he was leading them to. "This place has a bunch of diaries."

"Whose diaries are they?" Tom questioned.

"I'm pretty sure they're Valentino's," Tord said. "After all, they all use that prestigious formal talk he uses, and they're all signed with V. V. R. R. at the end. The only person I know who talks like that and has a name starting with V is Valentino." Tord pulled one of the diaries from the shelf. "Here, take this for example." He read the entry aloud.

"29th June, 2007

Dear Diary,

It is my nineteenth birthday...again."

Tord frowned, but continued reading. The other three stared at him, listening intently.

"I did the same thing I do every birthday now. I sat in that same room with my same old brothers. We did not talk. We did not move. We sat there in complete silence for the entire day. It was comforting, in a way, to have their company. It was better to have them there with me than torturing the people here like they usually do.

However, it started storming in the middle of the day. Mars was afraid of the lightning, but I was able to comfort him. I still kept our pact, or truce, or whatever you would like to call it. It was difficult to accomplish, but it was funny. Instead of me crying for twenty-four hours and them hugging me, Mars was crying for the better part of the day and I had to hug him to calm him down. Soon, the storm passed and he was okay again. At the stroke of midnight, they left, going back to what they call their jobs. I suppose they work like clockwork.

I just do not want my birthday to be like this for the rest of my days.

Yours, V. V. R. R."

The room became uncomfortably silent. Tord looked up at his friends, biting his lip nervously. They stared at him as well, unsure of what to say. Matt, in particular, looked almost scared. Tom knitted his eyebrows together, trying to put the pieces together.

"What...does he mean by again?" Matt soon asked tenatively.

"Is he lying about his age?" Tom questioned, wanting to get more information.

"Don't ask me!" Tord yelled, stepping back and holding the book protectively. "I know just as much as you do about this." He didn't really mean to lose his cool like that, but he was stressed out about all this new information but no glue to put it all together.

Suddenly, an angered voice came from behind a bookshelf. "That damn traitor!" it yelled, the bookshelf nearby shaking because of an unknown force hitting it. The four of them stared at each other with wide eyes.

"Wh-Who was that?" Matt stammered.

The other three just looked at him, then began slowly moving up the aisle of bookshelves. They maneuvered over to the bookshelf they had seen move, hoping there wasn't a ghost nearby. They soon found Mars, Rome, and Warrior standing in between two bookshelves. They stared at them, surprised. Edd stepped back, slightly anxious to be around them. Mars looked at them and smiled, but it seemed fake.

"What are you guys doing here?" Mars asked.

"I should be asking you three the same thing," Tord blurted out. "We're just here to check out the books. I wanted to show them all the information here. But you..."

"Are you stalking us?!" Matt screeched, unable to keep in his questioning.

Mars let out a laugh, but it sounded forced. "No, no, we were just here to find a book we needed. But, we found it, so we gotta go, right guys?" He turned to his brothers and nodded, hoping they would catch on.

"You guys aren't even holding any books," Tom pointed out. He was already suspicious of them.

"Uh, well, that's just because, we, uh..." Mars searched for an answer. He looked nervous.

"We got Valentino to take it for us!" Rome shouted. His face looked a little red, though from what emotion, the others couldn't tell.

"Valentino's with you?" Matt sounded excited, but also worried. He would love to see Valentino again, just to be around him and help him, but was also worried that the brothers had been torturing him.

"Hold on," Edd cut in. He had been studying the brothers closely, noticing something off. Now, he pointed to Mars accusingly. "What's with all those scars on you?"

Mars's face fell. "It's from the, uh...illusion death," he said.

"That is correct," Warrior agreed. He scratched at his neck, which was now suddenly sporting dark bruises. 

"But those were a while ago," Edd argued. "And I don't remember seeing them earlier when we were talking to you..." He stared at the markings, disturbed. He knew he wouldn't have missed something so obvious, especially because they stood out against Warrior's pale skin.

"You just have bad memory," Warrior concluded, before they could try and argue any further. Just as one of them was about to say something, a person slammed the door open and rushed inside.

"Alright, which one of you fucknuggets called me a brat?!" Krittle screamed. She realized Matt was present and quickly shut her mouth, standing frozen. "Uh, h-hey, guys!" she stammered, suddenly awkward.

"What the hell is going on?" Tom muttered. Edd, Matt, and Tord nodded in agreement.

"Why does it matter if your sliver of self-esteem was hurt by a simple insult?" Warrior inquired. "You're utterly pathetic anyways. We don't want to deal with you."

Krittle frowned. "I'm not pathetic. I thought of a great plan for you guys!"

"I'm sure the plan only ends in you getting to turn Matt into a mannequin," Rome sighed. "Come on, you guys, let's get out of here." He started walking over to the other side to get away from Krittle.

"Hey, I'm not done with you yet!" Krittle ran up and blocked their path. "What's with all those weird marks on you? Quincy didn't tell me about them!"

"Who's Quincy?" Matt questioned, hoping his question would distract them from fighting.

"Shut the hell up!" Mars, Rome, Warrior, and even Krittle shouted in unison.

Matt shrank back, mumbling an apology. Tom frowned in the brothers' direction, while Edd held Matt's arm reassuringly. Tord stood there awkwardly, looking between the bickering groups with a nervous look on his face.

"You know what happened," Mars growled, turning his attention back to Krittle.

"No, actually, I don't." Krittle pointed her finger to accentuate the point. "I know about as much as these guys do. Why do all the other ghosts know, but I don't?"

"Because you willingly turned yourself over to those doll creeps and allowed yourself to be brainwashed," Warrior replied dryly.

"I'm not brainwashed!" Krittle cried. Tears were pricking at her eyes, most likely from anger. "I've asked them what happened to me but they won't tell me! I know that you know and I just wanna know why I'm here!" She stomped her feet on the floor. "I wanna know why all of this is happening! I wanna know why I don't remember anything, and I wanna know why I hate a man I don't even know, and I wanna know why I'm being forced to go along with all of this!"

Edd, Tom, Matt, and Tord looked at each other nervously. They didn't know whether to keep watching, intervene, or just walk away.

"We don't know anything," Rome responded.

"You know everything!" Krittle shouted. "Tell me, please!" The tears finally slid down her cheeks. "I just wanna go home! I want my real self back and my real name back! I...I want to be alive again..." Krittle collapsed onto the floor, sobbing into her hands. Rome and Warrior stepped away, heading towards the exit. Mars, however, stayed behind, crouching down to Krittle's level. Edd, Tom, Matt, and Tord couldn't hear what he said, but they could tell it wasn't good.

"Come on, Rover, we gotta go," Rome called.

Mars glared, but stood up and walked towards him anyways.

"That's a good boy!" Rome went so far as to even clap his hands on his knees, as if Mars really were a dog.

"I swear to fucking God, Rome," Mars grumbled, "stop with the dog treatment."

"Hey, you're the one with the cliché dog name for a middle name," Rome explained, turning towards the exit.

"It's for Mars rovers!" Mars cried, indignant. "Not dogs!"

"Mars rovers didn't even exist when you were born," Warrior pointed out.

Mars pouted, his face red from embarrassment. "You guys are dicks," he mumbled, leaving the library with them. Edd, Tom, Matt, and Tord watched them go. They then turned to Krittle, who still sat sobbing on the floor. Edd was the first to walk up to her and crouch down, putting a reassuring hand on her shoulder. Krittle looked up at him, tears streaming down her cheeks. Somehow, even her doll eye was capable of crying. Edd was surprised the paint stayed intact.

"Why are you still here?" she inquired. "Aren't you just going to kick me like I'm some sort of abused puppy? You guys hate me anyways..." She put her head back in her hands.

"We're not going to hurt you," Edd assured her. "And we don't hate you. You just...well, you threatened Matt, trapped us, and have insulted Valentino many times..." He trailed off.

"You don't need to tell me about all my mistakes," Krittle sniffed. "I...I want to know the truth, like you guys. Everyone here keeps it from me and I don't know why. I've been dead for...even I don't know how many years. People who just got here know more than me about this place..." She shook her head. "They took everything away from me. I can't remember anything about my past life, or anything that's been happening here. All I remember is what's been happening in the past few days."

"I bet you've been cursed," Tord said. "That would explain all the weird stuff that's going on with you."

Krittle looked up at him. "Can you fix me?" she asked. "I want to be normal like everyone else. I want to remember!"

Tord shook his head. "You said you made a deal with the dolls, right? Well, that means you let yourself be cursed. That means we can't save you, unless they agree to let you go. I'm sorry."

Krittle's face fell and she put her face in her hands once more, bursting into tears.

"How do you know so much about curses?" Tom questioned.

Tord shrugged. "I read books," he said simply.

Edd sighed, trying to comfort Krittle. "Hey, I have an idea," he told her. "How about we help you try to get cured? We can try to convince the dolls to make you okay again. Or, we could help you escape so you won't be under their influence anymore."

Krittle looked up at him. "R-Really?" she sniffled.

Edd nodded. "As long as you don't try to kill us."

"I promise, I won't do anything dangerous to you!" she cried. "Even if they're still controlling me, I'll fight them off!"

Edd laughed. "Alright, then, we'll help you."

Krittle squealed with happiness, her tears drying away. She leaped into Edd's arms, hugging him tightly.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, hey!" Edd struggled in her grasp. "I know you're into fat people and all, but I don't like getting touched!"

"But you're so soft and cuddly!" Krittle retorted. She merely snuggled into him, making the color flush out of Edd's face.

"Let go let go let go let go of me please..." Edd kept repeating the phrase, unable to do much of anything else. Tord rushed over and grabbed Krittle by the collar of her dress, pulling her forcefully off of Edd. Edd scrambled up and stepped over to Tom, shivering. Krittle made a huffy noise, clearly unamused by Tord grabbing onto her.

"Hey, now," Tord began, "if we're going to help you, you can't do things like that."

"Wait!" Matt interrupted. "I'm not agreeing to helping her! I'm not exactly...comfortable with working with a girl who wants to make me into a mannequin, o-or...force-feed me." He nearly puked upon saying the last few words.

"I'm not going to do that," Krittle argued, tears coming to her eyes again. "Th-That was because of the curse! I don't want to hurt you..."

"How am I expected to believe that when you just triggered Edd?" Matt shouted. He really wasn't messing around, now - he looked undeniably angry. "You've already hurt my friends because of your own selfishness, and you're trying to take away the best aspects of myself for your own desires!"

"M-Matt, come on," Edd tried to reason, despite still shivering.

"No!" Matt screamed. "I don't want to help someone who hurts me and my friends! It makes me want to fucking puke!" He ran over to the door that Mars, Rome, and Warrior had exited just minutes earlier and pulled it open. However, as soon as he did so, a blinding flash of light and the crackle of large amounts of electricity shot through the air. The impact made Matt stagger backwards, his hair frizzing because of all the electrons now present. He rubbed his eyes, feeling as if they were melting out of his skull. Edd, Tom, and Tord ran over to him, trying to see what made the huge commotion. Krittle stayed behind, worried that she would bother Matt if she so much as breathed near him.

"Wh-What was that?" Edd cried, his voice cracking. He was extremely worried now, stress and questions floating around his mind like a bag of marbles.

"Ow ow ow ow ow," Matt whimpered. He held his face in pain, shivering. "It hurts it hurts it hurts..." His voice raised in pitch the more he talked, tears already falling down his face. Tom moved over to him, trying to comfort him. Edd glanced back at them, but was unsure of what to do. Tord merely stared outside, trying to figure out what was going on.

Krittle stared at them, her heart wrenching at the sight. She wanted to help Matt, but couldn't remember the correct healing technique for the effects of bright illusions. She also felt as if he wouldn't even let her near him. However, instead of leaving, she searched around the bookshelves, hoping to find one listing all the healing powers.

"Matt, look at me," Tom ordered.

Matt moved his face in the direction of Tom's voice, but didn't remove his hands from his face. Tom grabbed them and took them away, but almost regretted doing so upon seeing what had happened. Matt's eyes were completely clouded over, making him appear blind. The skin around them looked almost charred. His hair seemed to smoke from the tips and overall, he looked disoriented.

"I can't see," Matt whispered.

"What?" Tom asked, more out of shock rather than not hearing what he said.

"I can't see," Matt choked out.

It wasn't just appearance, then.

Matt had gone blind.

Tom let out a string of curses under his breath, then turned to Edd and Tord. "Hey, commie," he called. "What's the hold-up? We got a situation over here."

Tord glanced back at him just to glare, but explained, "We have something serious over here, too. Valentino's out there."

"What?" Tom tried walking over there, but Matt held onto his wrists tightly. Tom whispered for him to follow him, then slowly headed over to the doorway. Matt walked unsteadily, but was able to make it over. He was shaking, turning his head this way and that to try and figure out where everything was. Tom, Edd, and Tord stared down the hallway. They could see the backs of Rome and Warrior, as well as some shadowy figure, but couldn't find Mars and Valentino. However, they had heard their voices. Strange cracking and popping sounds came from the end of the hall, but they couldn't see what was happening clearly. After it finished, there was a long string of silence, then Rome began calling for Mars to leave. The three of them went off down the opposite hallway, but Valentino was still nowhere to be found.

"We need his help for this," Tom pointed out.

"Right." Tord looked to Tom. "You stay with Matt. Edd and I will go get him." Tom nodded and the other two ran off down the hall.

"Valentino!" Edd called. He found the teen at an intersection of the hall, staring off into the distance. At the sound of his name, he turned to see Tord and Edd. He smiled warmly.

"It is a pleasure to see you two again," he remarked. "However, I am guessing nothing is well?"

Tord shook his head. "Matt's gone fucking blind."

Valentino's eyes widened in surprise. "Oh, that dreaded...Ugh!" He finished his sentence in an exasperated growl. "Where is he?"

"Just in the library up here," Edd explained. The three of them rushed back there, where Tom and Matt waited patiently for them. Matt was shivering violently, crying and mumbling things about how everything was dark and he was scared. Valentino rushed over to him, staring at his clouded eyes. He was horrified; not just because Matt had gone blind, but because his eyes had completely lost that bright and innocent shine, with the brilliant blue of a sunny day's sky.

"It was the lightning that did it, because of that damned Feral," Valentino concluded.

"How were you not affected by it?" Tom inquired. "Did you close your eyes?"

"That stuff burns straight through your eyelids," Valentino murmured. "It must have knew that you four were around. Damn it!" He stepped away from Matt, pacing around. "I cannot remember the way to fix it... I know it wears off after a couple of days, but he cannot wait that long. I should have been more careful!" He turned to look at Edd, Tom, and Tord. "Wait right here, please. I am going to find the book of cures." 

Valentino ran off through the maze of bookshelves before they could say anything. He took a turn and bumped into Krittle, who was holding a book close to her chest. Upon seeing Valentino, she thrust the book over to him. He gazed down at her, surprised.

"Here!" she cried. "Take it. He doesn't want me near him anyways."

Valentino blinked a few times, then tentatively took the book from her hands. "Thank you," he told her. Krittle didn't say anything, but burst into tears and ran off. Valentino stared at where she had stood for a few seconds. He was surprised she had even interacted with him, let alone positively. He then headed back to the others, sitting cross-legged on the floor and flipping through the pages. Edd and Tord gathered around him, Tom craning his neck to look at the book but still holding Matt's arm to make sure he didn't hurt himself. Valentino finally stopped on a certain page, reading over it.

" _Mierda_ ," he cursed under his breath.

"What does it say?" Edd inquired.

"This cure can be extremely dangerous to others unaffected by the illusion," Valentino read. "Because of the extreme contrast of lighting involved, those around can suffer from various effects, ranging from dizziness and nausea to seizures and temporary blindness. It is advised that the only people present in the room be the one who was affected and the one performing the healing process."

"Alright, then, we'll just go outside," Tom said.

"No, no, I will go," Valentino argued. He stood up and took Matt's arm. "I do not want to hurt other beings possibly residing here. Come along, Matty." He carefully led Matt over to the door, pushing it open and holding it open for Matt to go through. He instructed the ginger to keep going forward, but he hesitated.

"What's going on?" Matt questioned. "Where are we going?"

"I am taking you to a safer room," Valentino elaborated. "You will be healed there."

"Really?" Matt still didn't move.

"Yes." Getting impatient, Valentino moved his arm to push Matt forward and through the door. He shut it behind them and took Matt's arm again, looking for a door nearby.

"Are you really Valentino?" Matt questioned.

Valentino chuckled. "You really cannot tell by my way of speech, Matty?" He feigned some surprise, then decided to joke a little with him. "Shall I roll my r's even more so that you may recognize my Spanish roots?" he purred, then laughed.

Matt laughed along with him, looking happy even if his eyes had lost their shine. "So, what's going on? What made that big flash of light? Are you okay?"

Valentino felt a twinge in his heart at Matt's worry for him. "You need not worry about that," he murmured, blushing. He let out a sudden curse in a rather violent tone. "There are no doors close. And with those effects, it would be much too dangerous to try that..." He looked up at Matt. "Please, do not think me crazy for doing this, but it may be our only option."

"What are you going to do?" Matt sounded worried.

"It would be much easier to go about this a more straightforward way, but considering your limited walking ability and no doors in sight, we need to do something a little more creative." Valentino sounded more as if he were explaining this to himself rather than Matt. "Sit down, please."

"Why can't we just do this in the hallway?" Matt protested.

"I do not want to risk hurting others around," Valentino replied in a hard tone. "Now, sit down."

Matt, slightly afraid, did as he was told. Valentino nodded thoughtfully, then moved over to him.

"Again, please do not judge me for what I am about to do, but it is our only choice," Valentino said. He put his arm at Matt's back and moved the other one underneath Matt's knees. He pushed himself up, now carrying Matt in a rather compromising position. Matt, too shocked to say anything, merely looked down - or, moved his head down. Stepping carefully, Valentino started walking towards the end of the hallway.

"Why would I judge you for carrying me?" Matt asked quietly, unsure of where to put his hands.

"W-Well," Valentino stammered, "I just thought... I do not know. People judge me for very many things, and I suppose I thought you would do the same."

"Oh." Matt was silent for a few moments. "I can walk, you know."

"I know, but I thought it would be easier to look for doors if I did not have to worry about you bumping into things or tripping over yourself," Valentino explained. "This may put a little more pressure on me, but I can handle it, because it is for you."

Matt smiled, though it looked funny to Valentino since the ginger was staring straight at his crotch as he did so. He fought the urge to laugh, then suddenly lost all will to do anything as Matt moved his arms around Valentino's neck. Valentino stopped walking, his legs feeling weak and his body tensing up. His face turned beet-red, feeling like it was flaming from how much he was blushing.

"Sorry, am I making you uncomfortable?" Matt inquired, trying to look in the direction of Valentino's face.

"N-No, I am very, um...comfortable," Valentino protested, continuing his trek down the hall. He mentally slapped himself for saying such a dumb thing.

"That's good," Matt replied, clearly not realizing the double entendre behind Valentino's words. "I was just trying to make this a bit easier for you, so you don't collapse or something. I'm also kinda curious...how are you able to carry me right now?"

"Latino men have powers unlike any other person alive," Valentino deadpanned. However, he couldn't keep a straight face and ending up snorting and laughing at his own joke. Matt laughed along with him.

"Hey!" a voice called from the end of the hall. Valentino looked up to see Krittle waving to him. "There's a door down here!" she shouted. Valentino nodded and started walking over to her.

"Who's that?" Matt asked.

"You ask too many questions," Valentino muttered, still smiling.

"But I want answers," Matt argued.

"Shut up," Valentino murmured.

"Make me," Matt retorted, sticking his tongue out playfully. 

Valentino thought of many ways he could make Matt shut up right about then, but he repressed the urges and kept quiet. However, he could not keep the blush coming to his face from appearing. He soon reached Krittle, hoping she wouldn't berate him. Surprisingly, she merely pointed down the hallway to a door.

"You can join us, if you would like," Valentino suggested.

Krittle shrugged. "Alright." Internally, she was surprised that Valentino suggested it, of all people.

"There is a catch, however." Valentino tried to fight the smile coming to his face. "The last one there is a rotten egg!" He took off down the hall, leaving Krittle confused and angry. She shouted something incomprehensible at him as she headed after them. Matt yelped, surprised at the sudden speed and scared he would fall out of Valentino's arms. He held on tighter, gripping Valentino's sweater. Valentino soon slowed to a stop at the door. Krittle ran up behind him, out of breath.

"That," she panted, "was unfair."

Valentino smirked. "I do not play by the rules," he replied simply, pushing open the door and heading in. Krittle stayed outside, afraid of making Matt uncomfortable. Valentino set Matt down on the floor, sitting across from him.

"May I have your mirror, Matty?" Valentino questioned, holding out his hand.

Matt nodded and pulled his mirror out of his hoodie. He gave it to Valentino, who held it gingerly. He snapped his fingers in front of the surface of the mirror, making it glow like a flame. He then placed it carefully in the center of the room. Sighing, he looked up at Matt, staring at him. He was unsure of how to start this without seeming like a creep.

"Um, Matty?" he decided to start.

"Yes?" Matt looked up, but seemed to be staring above Valentino.

"This process is going to get a little, ehm...touchy, in the face area." He moved his hands around to accentuate the point even though Matt couldn't see it. "Are you okay with that?"

Matt frowned. "As long as you aren't going to hurt me."

"I will not," Valentino promised. He scooted closer to Matt, placing his hands on either side of Matt's face. The ginger tensed, but didn't say a word. Valentino lifted his fingers, keeping his palms on Matt's cheeks. The room shook slightly, then went completely dark, with only the mirror at their side to illuminate them. Valentino placed his fingers back on Matt's face, bending them. A bright flash lit up the room, the cracking sound of splintering wood reverberating throughout it.

"What was th-that?" Matt stuttered, scared.

"Hush," Valentino whispered, "or I will have to make you."

Matt immediately went quiet. Valentino continued with his work, moving his hands upward to Matt's temples. He moved his palms out, but kept his fingertips there. He moved them in gentle circles, hoping this was the right place to put them. The lights flickered, getting dimmer with every other circle and then brightening back up after those circles in a pattern. Eventually, Valentino balled his hands into fists, making the room flash brightly again. He then pushed two of his fingers out and slowly moved them down so they were aligned with Matt's eyes. The lights flickered again, making Valentino nervous. He moved his hands towards himself at an angle so that they still stayed aligned with Matt's eyes. Pushing his thumb and two fingers together in one hand, he reached for the mirror with the other.

"This may sting a little," Valentino warned Matt, "so brace yourself. However, under any circumstances, do not cover your eyes. You may close them, but do not block them or try to rub them. Keep as still as possible."

"Alright..." Matt sounded afraid, hoping this would go over quickly.

Valentino quickly moved the mirror in front of Matt's face. He held onto it with both hands, the mirror immediately acting. It glowed, feeling hot under Valentino's hands. It let out a sudden burst of light, illuminating the room. Once the light died down, the room went completely dark, then lit up again. It went on a cycle like that, making an interesting light show for those happening to look under the door. Matt stayed as still as possible, though this was starting to hurt his eyes. They watered and Matt wanted nothing more than to fix it, but he dug his fingers into the floor to keep from doing anything.

Suddenly, the room went entirely dark and stayed that way. Matt felt as if the room around him was completely gone, that he was floating in empty space. He shivered, feeling cold. However, an explosion of light then came from the mirror. Matt gritted his teeth from the pain. He felt as if an unseen force was pushing him backwards, trying to claw its way into his eyes. He let out a strangled cry as the light grew brighter, but it soon slowly died down.

"You may move now," Valentino whispered. 

Matt rubbed at his eyes, wiping away the tears. He blinked once, twice, then slowly opened his eyes fully. He stared straight at his own mirror, the first thing he saw being his own reflection. He smiled brightly, snatching his mirror from Valentino and admiring himself.

"I look so beautiful!" he squealed. "I'm so glad I can see myself again!"

Valentino sighed. "I am...glad too," he mumbled. He stood up, watching as Matt walked around the room, staring only at himself. Valentino moved over to the door and opened it, holding it open for Matt. The ginger walked straight through, not even noticing Valentino standing there. Valentino stared down at the ground, wondering if he had done something wrong. He closed the door behind him, staring at Matt, who was spinning around.

"He's really happy," Krittle remarked.

"I guess so," Valentino said. "It does not seem like he appreciated being helped, though."

Krittle stared up at him. "He cares about you. He may not be able to show it very well, but if you look hard enough, you can see all that love he holds."

Valentino brushed some of his hair out of his face, letting out a chuckle. "I can see it, but I can see so much more than that behind it, and all the emotions covering it up like concealer. I can sense every single thing going on around us, every thought passing through a person's mind, every molecule out of order. You are the one who underestimates me." He stepped away from the wall. "I must be going now. It was nice having a peaceful talk with you." He headed over to one of the doors of the library that Matt was already walking through.

"Guys!" Matt shouted, running down the aisle to see his friends. "I can see my face again! And I can see you again!"

"So it worked?" Edd beamed.

"It did," Valentino said, coming up behind Matt. The ginger still didn't even acknowledge him, giddy about seeing his face only. Valentino sighed, looking down.

"Thanks for your help, kid," Tom replied, tousling the brunet's hair. Valentino looked up at him, smiling slightly.

"Anything for you," he responded. "I hate to cut our time short, but..." Valentino glanced over at Matt. "I cannot help but feel like I am unneeded here. I need to go." He pushed past Tom, going over to a door. He turned back to say, "You will see me again soon. I may not look like myself, but trust me...it will be me." He held up a hand in a gesture of farewell, then left the library.

"So what do we do now?" Edd questioned.

"I wanna stay here," Tord announced. "I need to find more clues so we can get more answers. You guys can do whatever, honestly."

"I don't really want to spend all day reading books," Tom commented. "What do you want to do, Edd?"

Edd shrugged. "I'm up for whatever, though I do feel kinda restless."

"Then we'll go off and explore," Tom concluded. He and Edd exited the library, saying goodbye to Tord. Upon hearing the door shut, Matt finally looked up from his mirror and glanced around, only seeing Tord.

"Where's Valentino?" he asked. "I want to thank him."

"He left," Tord explained simply. "He probably would've stayed if you actually shown your appreciation to him for helping you, but instead you had to be selfish and only care about seeing your face again." He rolled his eyes. "But that's none of my business."

Matt looked hurt, but sighed upon realizing that this was his fault and he couldn't change what he had done. He rushed out of the library, hoping to find Valentino and apologize to him. Tord sighed, going back to reading his book. He became so absorbed in finding out about ghosts that he didn't realize the room was changing around him. When he smelled smoke and ashes, he finally looked up and gasped.

The room had completely changed. It was much darker, thanks to the absence of windows, and littered with ashes and smoke. It was completely empty and seemed small, almost claustrophobic. It smelled like someone had been grilling food. Tord closed the book and put it in his hoodie pocket, carefully standing up. Nobody seemed to be around. However, he suddenly felt something tapping on his shoulder. He turned around and was met with a pair of striking blue eyes. He screamed and staggered backwards.

"Well, you aren't quite as feisty as I imagined you to be," the person remarked. They ran a hand through their curly hair, which looked like it was made of fire. They tapped their long, painted nails on their leather chaps.

"Wh-Who are you?" Tord stammered, his eyes wide.

The person tilted their head. "Don't you recognize me?" they inquired. Before Tord could answer, they laughed. "Kidding, kidding. My name is Phoenix, but you can call me Nix, or some people call me A." They held their hand out for a handshake.

Tord took their hand for the handshake. "Why do they call you A?"

"Because I'm A everything," Phoenix explained. "Agender, aromantic, asexual, amazing, et cetera." They smiled. Tord glanced down at their chest, but the sweater they wore was too baggy to make out anything. They crossed their arms over their chest, obviously feeling a little insecure about it. Tord looked back up at their eyes, wondering if they were going to berate him. However, all they did was smirk at his behavior and start walking away. Their studded boots clacked against the wood floor satisfyingly. Tord followed them, a little lost as to what to do.

"Why did the library change into this?" Tord asked.

"You had to meet me somehow." Phoenix shrugged. "I call this place the Lion's Den, by the way."

Before Tord could even question why it was called that, a lion stepped out of the shadows. It was huge, nearly the size of Phoenix themself. Its eyes matched those of Phoenix, staring straight through Tord and turning his blood to ice.

"Kit!" Phoenix cried, running over and wrapping their arms around the giant creature. "How has my sweet boy been?"

The lion let out a friendly sound of greeting, but even it sounded intimidating. Tord shrank back, unsure of what to do.

"You can come meet him, Tord," Phoenix said. "He won't bite."

"How do you know my name?" Tord questioned.

"I told you, we've met before." Phoenix sounded deathly serious, but Tord felt like they were still joking. He stepped closer to Kit, eventually getting within petting distance. Phoenix guided Tord's hand to the lion, their darker skin standing out against the pale fur of the lion. Tord guessed they were of Hispanic descent. Kit, seeming eager to be pet, pushed its head forward into Tord's hand. Tord stiffened a bit, but relaxed upon noticing that the lion seemed perfectly okay with him.

"Isn't he sweet?" Phoenix gushed.

"How long have you had him?" Tord questioned, still patting Kit's head.

"You make it sound like I own him," Phoenix scoffed. "I've known him for a few years. I feel bad for him, though. Died when he was just a little scrawny thing."

Kit let out a sad-sounding growl, startling Tord.

"How old are both of you, then?" Tord asked.

"Depends." Phoenix pulled up a chair and sat in it backwards. "Do you consider the age of a dead person to be when they died, or how old they would be now?"

"I guess how old they would be now," Tord answered.

"Then he's twelve," Phoenix replied, "and I'm thirty-two."

Tord gaped. "Thirty-two?!"

Phoenix chuckled. "Well, I'm not going to look my age when I died way before then."

Kit let out a warning roar at Phoenix, who merely laughed. "I know, Kit, I won't tell him when I died. That would give away too much. I want them to actually have a challenge figuring this out."

Tord thought for a moment. "Alright, then that means you were either born in 1983 or 1982, correct?"

Phoenix nodded, encouraging him to keep going.

"Well, that would certainly line up with the information I have..." Tord mumbled to himself. Phoenix smirked to themselves, knowing that Tord would be the first to figure it out. After all, he spent the most time in the library. They just hoped they could keep doing this for the rest of the group.

Kit let out a low growl, though he didn't seem to be angered. Phoenix stood up and walked over to him, running their hands through his mane and whispering comforting words in his ear. They looked back to Tord, who was lost in thought.

"Hey, Tordy," Phoenix said. "Would you like a ride?"

"Huh?" Tord looked up to see Phoenix boosting themselves up onto Kit's back.

"I said," Phoenix repeated, "would you like a ride? We gotta go meet the lady anyway."

"The lady?" Tord echoed.

"She's sort of our boss," Phoenix explained. "We'll just head over to her place and meet the rest of them there."

"Alright." Tord walked over to Kit's side and climbed up, sitting behind Phoenix.

"Don't talk on our way there, alright?" Phoenix warned. "I can't keep this up for all of you."

Tord was confused, but obeyed their words anyway. Kit began padding forward, leading them to wherever they were going.

*

Matt wandered through the maze of halls, very confused and very lost. He had been calling Valentino's name for who knows how long, but hadn't found any trace of him nor clues to where he could be. He was close to giving up on his search and accepting that Valentino would only show up when he wanted to. However, he came across a single door right smack in the middle of a hall. He tilted his head, curious as to what was behind it. He opened the door and immediately wondered if he had been transported to Kansas.

The entire room was a completely empty field. Long, yellow grasses swayed in the gentle breeze. The entire environment looked dull and desaturated. Matt stepped inside, wondering if anything else was here. He walked slowly through the fields, the grass tickling his legs. He saw a figure standing far away and stopped, debating internally on whether to talk to them or not. However, upon realizing it could be Valentino, he decided to go see them, running over to where they stood. Their back was to Matt, but he knew that it wasn't Valentino.

The person wore a long brown cloak, blending in with the grass. Their dull blond hair was styled into a quiff, looking like windswept grass. Matt couldn't see much of their skin from behind, but could tell it was dark. Matt figured that they were a boy, but was given quite a shock when the figure turned around, revealing that they were wearing just a bra and leggings. They also wore laced shoes that went under their leggings, making it unknown where they ended. Matt avoided their gaze, afraid that they would yell at him. However, since his mind had taken a vacation, he didn't realize that his eyes were right on the person's chest. They took Matt's chin roughly in one hand and forced it upwards, making him look into their eyes.

"Pervert," they scoffed. "My eyes are up here."

Matt gaped, now unable to tear his eyes away from theirs. They had gorgeous amber-colored eyes. They shone like the sunset and the colors melted together like honey. They looked like the kind of eyes described as putting someone under mind control with just a glance. They tilted their head, glittering earrings catching the light of the sun.

"What's your business here?" they asked.

"I, u-uh," Matt stammered. "I was looking for someone..."

They chuckled. "Well, you've found them."

"Huh?" Matt shook his head. "No, I was looking for-"

"If you had been paying attention earlier," they snapped, "you would know."

"Know what?" Matt was very confused.

They merely chuckled, remarking, "Oh, Matty, you're so naive." They let go of Matt's chin and turned away, walking down the field. Matt hurried after them, wanting to know what was going on. He hadn't noticed before, but on either side of the fields were thickets of trees leading into the woods.

"So, um...who are you?" Matt asked. "And how do you know my name?"

"One question at a time, dearie," they warned. "But I will give you the satisfaction of answering both. I am Aureole, carrier of the wind. You probably also want to know what gender I am, and the answer to that question is, uh...undecided, but you can call me whatever. As for knowing your name, you would have known if you had paid attention earlier." They threw a wink in Matt's direction.

Matt felt heat rise to his cheeks, both from embarrassment and how this person he had never met was calling him nicknames and winking at him. "Do you, uh, know Valentino?"

"I guess you could say we're a little more than acquainted," Aureole remarked.

"What does that mean?" Matt wondered if they were just joking.

"Do you think we're a couple?" Aureole inquired. "Perhaps you're jealous?"

"I don't think that!" Matt protested, blushing harder. "A-And I'm not jealous!"

"Whatever you say, Matty," Aureole purred. 

Matt let out a huffy breath in response. He and Aureole stopped at a small, wooden cabin surrounded by a fence. In the back, Matt could make out flowers and other plants growing there.

"Oh," Aureole suddenly exclaimed, "here's my humble little house. Would you like to join me for hot chocolate? Or perhaps you would prefer tea?"

"Hot chocolate sounds g-good," Matt stammered.

Aureole nodded and walked through the gate, opening the door to the cabin and letting Matt inside. The inside had no light bulbs, but relied on gas lamps and other flammable objects as lighting and heat. Aureole walked over to a green-colored kitchen and began making the hot chocolate.

"You can settle on the couch if you'd like," they said, grabbing two mugs. "What do you like in your hot chocolate?"

"Uh, marshmallows are good," Matt answered, sitting tentatively on a plaid couch. He stared at a candle sitting on the table in front of him as if it held the meaning to life. An old television was placed in front of the table, really selling the old-timey Kansas look. He sat there for a while before Aureole returned with two mugs of hot chocolate, handing him one. He mumbled a thank you and sipped on his drink, hoping to make this as less awkward as possible. He noticed Aureole had whipped cream with sprinkled cinnamon on top of their hot chocolate. They were also stirring the drink with a plain stick of cinnamon.

Now that they were in a better lighted environment, Matt could see their clothing a little better. Their top was a pale peach and their leggings were a deep red with sparkles that caught the light. Their sneakers were a deep gray, almost black. They also wore a necklace made of stones and their earrings glittered in the candlelight. Overall, they looked outstandingly gorgeous.

"What are your earrings made out of?" Matt questioned.

Aureole turned to him, sipping on their hot chocolate. "They're goldstone," they replied. "And this necklace is all sunstone, with a single star ruby in the middle there. I adore gemstones, as you can probably tell. I have a whole collection. I just love nature in general, honestly. I have a garden in the back, too."

"I like gemstones, too," Matt remarked. "Yours kinda remind me of a solar system."

Aureole beamed. "That's what I was going for!" they exclaimed. "I can tell you love spacey stuff. Here, here, I have something for you." Aureole got up and disappeared down a hallway. Matt tilted his head and waited patiently until they came back, something in their hands. They placed it gently into Matt's, slowly revealing a beautiful gemstone. It was dark blue with glittering specks on it, making it look like a tiny galaxy.

"This is blue goldstone," Aureole explained. "Keep it, as a memento from me."

"I get to keep it?" Matt tried to keep from bouncing from excitement. "I...thank you." He put the little stone safe in his pocket, hoping it wouldn't fall out. When he looked back up, Aureole was still quite close to his face. "Is s-something wrong?" he stuttered.

"Sorry!" Aureole scooted backwards. "It is just...your eyes are, um...really pretty." Matt could vaguely see them blushing in the candlelight. Matt giggled, flattered that they thought his eyes were pretty.

The cabin suddenly lurched forward, everything shaking. Matt's mug fell from the table, shattering on the floor. Aureole scrambled up from the couch and ran over to the door. Matt followed Aureole outside, where Aureole stood looking very concerned.

"There's a tornado out there," they explained. "We have to get the hell out of here." Aureole ran out into the field, Matt following close behind. They whistled loudly. An animalistic sound came in response, a huge creature prancing out from the woods. A giant elk then arrived at Aureole, stamping its foot in impatience.

"This is Sirocco," Aureole introduced. "He's gonna get us out quickly, and then we'll meet up with the others."

"The others?" Matt echoed.

"No time to explain." Aureole climbed up onto Sirocco's back and held their hand out. "Get on behind me, and hold on tightly."

Matt did as he was told, grabbing Aureole's hand to hoist himself up. He wrapped his arms around Aureole's abdomen, hoping this would be tight enough for him not to fall off. Aureole instructed him not to say anything as they traveled, to which Matt merely nodded. Then, they took off.

*

Tom and Edd traveled through the halls, looking around at all the doors. They had been here for a while, exploring, but had found nothing of interest. They continued on through a hall entirely made of doors, but Tom stopped at one. Nothing was different about this door, but he felt a strange presence pulling him towards it.

"Come on, Tom," Edd called. "There's more exploring to do down here."

Tom shook his head. "Something is like...pulling me to this door. I don't know what it is, but I feel like I should go in that room."

Edd shrugged. "You sure?"

"Positive," Tom answered.

"Alright..." Edd started walking away. "Be careful. I'll be down here." 

Tom nodded and pulled open the door, finding himself in a room similar to the one he had once found Valentino in. Everything was made of water and had the same physics, being that it never made you wet nor could you fall through it. This time, however, a figure stood in the middle of the room, looking surprised at Tom's presence.

"I thought it would take you longer to come in here!" they exclaimed.

"Who are you?" Tom immediately asked.

They giggled, clasping their hands together. "I'm Caspian, but some people call me Cassie," they said. "You must be Tom."

"Word travels fast about humans, huh?" Tom remarked.

Caspian laughed again, showing off a little gap in between their front teeth. "Yeah, the ghosts here are always excited to meet newcomers. For what reason, I don't really know!"

"You're...overly cheery, huh?" Tom said, feeling a little awkward about having to spend his time with someone who smiled constantly.

Caspian's face fell and they sighed. "I adjust to the people I have to be around," they admitted. "I know, it's bad to always hide your real self, but I want people to like me, y'know?" They ran a hand through their black hair, which looked like flowing water.

"You shouldn't worry about who likes you," Tom argued. "Just be yourself. Nobody likes a person who lies all the time. I know I like honest people."

"Really?" Caspian adjusted their jean jacket, falling back onto a sudden column of water that sprouted to make a seat for them. They swung one of their legs over the other, tapping their boot against the water. "I've never had someone like me for being myself."

Tom sat down next to them. "Maybe because you've never shown your real self to people."

"No, no, I have, it's just..." They sighed, putting their hands on their lap and digging their fingers into their capris. "I don't know my real self anymore. I used to be so happy and humorous, and then we found out about my disorders, and now I feel like a blob with no personality." They fell back onto the seat, the water rippling. "It got even worse when I got trapped here. I turned into a massive crybaby."

Tom tapped his fingers against his chin. "You sound like someone I know. Maybe you two could get along?"

Caspian laughed dryly and clasped their hands over their uncovered abdomen. "There's nobody like me, because...you've met me before."

Tom tilted his head. "How does that make sense?"

"I'm hiding from you," Caspian whispered. "I'm doing this same routine for all of you as a way to drop hints to you, to help you escape, without them noticing. But...I'm taking so much risk to do this. I doubt it'll even work..."

"Why couldn't you have just done this as yourself?" Tom asked.

"Because then they would know," Caspian murmured. "They know what I look like, everything I do, everything I'm planning. If I hide myself like this, they might just be stupid enough to not notice and punish someone who doesn't even exist, rather than me. It's an idiotic plan, but I had to do it. For you."

Tom's eyes widened. Someone cared about him so much that they were risking their life for him? He almost felt like crying. However, a birdlike sound came from the corner of the room, grabbing Tom's attention. Caspian sat up, smiling at the swan sitting in the corner.

"Hello, Lily," Caspian greeted as the swan swam over. "Have you heard anything from the lady?"

The swan squawked. Caspian somehow understood it and put a hand to their chest, clutching at the blue fabric of their crop top. They scrambled up from the water seat, making it dissipate. Tom screeched as he fell onto the ground.

"Sorry!" Caspian exclaimed. "We have to go, though. Lily says that Lady Ermine is looking for us. We'll meet up with her and hopefully see the others."

"The others?" Tom repeated, standing up and rubbing his back in pain.

"Yes." Caspian picked up Lily, letting the bird drape its neck around theirs. "Come on, let's get out of here. Just...don't talk on the way there. It'll keep us a secret, yeah?" Caspian grabbed Tom's hand and pulled him out of the room, running down the hall to where Lady Ermine resided.

*

Edd sighed, trying the last door of the hall. Once again, it was locked. Disappointed, he turned back, only to find himself in an empty hallway completely devoid of any doors. He frowned, slowly stepping forward. He wandered along the empty hall, looking to see if any doors would appear. He wished he had Matt's mirror right about now. Edd soon found a single door in the hall, looking like the door Tom had gone through a while earlier. He hoped this wasn't a trap, stepping through it.

A wonderland of a rainforest welcomed Edd into the room. Several plant species surrounded him, with exotic animals buzzing with commotion. A sandy trail led through a forest and seemingly down a hill, though Edd couldn't see all the way down. He wandered down, staring in awe at all the beautiful plants. He stopped at a bush that held fruits and large leaves. He found himself drawn to it and reached his hand out to touch it.

"Stop that hand, mister!" a boisterous voice shouted. A vine suddenly swung in front of Edd's face, nearly slapping him. A figure then slid down the vine, appearing in front of Edd. They were tan and had several dirt stains along their skin. Their most notable feature about them, however, was that they wore only leaves. They were wrapped around their chest and their legs to cover themselves. Spiderwebs and small berries were added to the leaves to give a sort of flair to them. Edd felt blush creep to his face, averting his eyes.

"Are you looking to kill yourself, Eddy boy?" the person yelled.

"U-Uh, no?" Edd didn't know what to say.

"Well, that there is _Dendrocnide moroides_ , known by many common names," the person explained. "Its most prominent name, however, is the suicide plant. See those little hairs? Those get stuck in your skin and release a potent neurotoxin that irritates your skin and hurts you for weeks, months, even years. Those who can't stand it anymore kill themselves to get rid of the pain. So don't touch it!" 

"Alright, I got it..." Edd felt awkward. "Uh, mind if I ask your name?"

"Cinnamon," they said. "And yes, I'm a girl. No need to ask for pronouns."

Before Edd could even ask why she wore those clothes, she replied, "Leaves are healthier for the environment to wear. It saves animals from having to get killed to be used as fur coats. It's always hot in here anyways, so you don't have to wear much. Honestly, you could be naked and I wouldn't care. Be free! That's what you're here for." She laughed and started walking down the path. "Come down here, you can join me for some tea or something."

Edd nodded and followed her. He looked around, curious as to what all the plants were. A blue lizard crawled on a leaf in front of him and a toucan landed on a branch to his side. Everything seemed so lively, yet so peaceful. Edd felt like he could stay here forever.

The two of them soon reached a quaint little bungalow. The roof was made of large leaves and the walls were bamboo. It had no door, but just an opening as an entrance. Cinnamon walked in, Edd trailing behind. While the house was small, it still felt homely. Cinnamon led Edd over to the living room, showing him to a soft leaf mat where he could lay down. She then walked over to a kitchen marked off by bamboo rugs, grabbing tea leaves and going over to a bucket that seemingly caught rainwater. Edd felt a little disgusted, but figured this tea couldn't hurt him. However, his stomach completely dropped when he looked up to see a giant spider dangling right over him.

"Cinnamon?" Edd tried to keep himself from screaming, however he still shook like a maniac.

"Hmm?" Cinnamon looked up and shouted, "Charlie! No dangling in front of guests!" She ran over and scooped the spider from its perch, scolding it. "Edd's afraid of bugs, you should know that! Joke or not, it's not fun to make people afraid."

Edd slowly sat up, staring at the spider on Cinnamon's arm. He wondered how she was so casual with such a big creature on her like that.

"This is Charlie," Cinnamon introduced. "She - or maybe it's a he, I don't really know - is my garden spider. They won't hurt you. They just wanted to check you out."

"I-I think I need to leave," Edd stammered, feeling sick.

"Yeah, we do need to go meet up with the others," Cinnamon agreed. "But let me get you your tea first. You need something to calm you down." With Charlie settled on her shoulder, Cinnamon grabbed the little cups of tea, handing one to Edd. "Now, shall we be off?"

"As long as Charlie doesn't crawl all over me," Edd said.

Cinnamon laughed and headed up the hill to their destination, her joy echoing throughout the forest.


	29. Unity

Sirocco pranced down the hallway, coming to a stop at a door. Aureole hopped off before the elk even stopped moving. Matt stayed on, waiting until it had laid down on the ground to get off. He patted its neck in thanks. It snorted, clearly disinterested.

"I have so many questions!" Matt exclaimed, leaning against Sirocco with a huff.

"I'll answer them," Aureole said. Before Matt could even open his mouth to ask them, they answered, "Yes, you'll be meeting the others once they get here. You weren't allowed to talk on the way here because it would be easier to keep it together when we're all together. Otherwise, weird things might happen. You don't want to see weird things happen."

"Wh-What kind of weird things?" Matt asked, afraid to know the answer.

Aureole shrugged. "Stuff like me falling out of my own skin, saying words to people who aren't there, suddenly disappearing or bleeding out, you know, the usual."

Matt stiffened. He could almost see the events happening in his head. He shook his head to clear it and took out his mirror, checking for any specks of dirt on his face or fluff in his hair. Aureole stepped back a few paces, frowning at the sight of the mirror. However, before they could say anything, a lion stepped into view.

"I can't believe you read that book all the way here," Phoenix remarked.

Tord shrugged. "Nothing better to do." He stepped off of Kit and headed over to Matt, greeting him and sitting down next to him. He continued reading the book rather than talk to him. Aureole ran over to Phoenix, who was running their hands through Kit's mane lovingly.

"How's it goin', A-game?" Aureole greeted.

Phoenix turned around, beaming at Aureole's presence. "It's going well, now that I can see you again."

"You two friends?" Tord asked.

"We're just a couple of lesbos!" Aureole answered, putting their arm around Phoenix casually.

"Aurie!" Phoenix shouted, but laughed anyways.

"What's all the commotion?" Cinnamon called. She ran down the hallway, Edd rushing to catch up with her. He leaned over to catch his breath, panting. Cinnamon, full of energy, jumped around in excitement and squealed. "Now all we gotta wait for is Cassie!"

"I'm here, I'm here, don't worry," Caspian said, walking up to them. Tom broke off from them to go see Edd, who had joined up with Tord and Matt. As they talked about what they had experienced, the four of them couldn't help but notice that Cinnamon looked very out of place among the others. She was bright and cheery, not just in personality, but also in clothing. She also had much lighter skin than the other three. However, the four of them fit together despite their differences. They looked right standing all together like that, laughing like old friends.

"Alright!" Cinnamon clasped her hands together and turned to Edd, Tom, Matt, and Tord. "Now, you four can meet with Lady Ermine. She's just through that door there." She pointed to the door right next to them. They nodded and pulled it open, heading in.

The supposed Lady Ermine was skating gracefully along the ice floor. She had pale skin like a porcelain doll, decorated with barely visible tattoos. Her eyes were a beautifully pale blue and her hair was short and white. She wore a skin-tight leotard with a transparent, glittering skirt at the bottom. There was another transparent part at the top of her leotard, turning from sleeves into a little cloak. It flowed out behind her as she spun, making her look extremely elegant. She jumped up and spun in mid-air, landing back on the ice flawlessly. She then bent her knee to crouch down close to the ice, stretching her other leg out. Spinning around, she stayed in that position for a while, then slowly straightened her body, while still spinning around and kicking her leg as if she were a ballet dancer. Finally, she skated around on the ice and came to a stop right in front of the four, who gaped at her in awe.

"I've been waiting to meet you four," Lady Ermine said, her voice soft and welcoming. "It's a pleasure to meet you." She tilted her head, showing off shimmering snowflake-shaped earrings that dangled from her ears.

"Why were we all called to meet here?" Edd inquired.

"Well," Lady Ermine began, turning to skate across the floor once more, "it's a long story, so let me get seats ready for you." She stood across from them and raised her arms up to the air, making several couches and chairs form out of ice. She spun around and several blankets covered the seats and backs of the chairs, so that they wouldn't freeze to death upon sitting down. However, before even she could take a seat, a squeaking sound came from behind her. She looked down and smiled, picking up a little ermine and cradling it in her arms.

"Solstice, where have you been?" Lady Ermine cooed. "Come on, you can join the storytelling." She sat in a chair at the head of the room, Solstice wrapping themselves around her neck like a scarf. Edd, Tom, Matt, and Tord squeezed into little couches and other chairs. Phoenix, Aureole, Caspian, and Cinnamon also walked in, joining in on loveseats. Kit, Sirocco, Lily, and Charlie joined in as well, settling on the floor. Somehow, nobody froze to death.

"Alright, I suppose I should start with this," Lady Ermine began. "Us ghosts, we can sort of see inside your head, or sense your feelings. We know when you're in danger or losing hope. We knew you were subconsciously losing hope. Therefore, we had to make up a plan to help you. We needed to gather you together and send you on a mission to get clues, to get you out of here. However, the masterminds here have eyes on us all the time. They know exactly who we are and what we're doing at all times. We had to hide ourselves, so that they wouldn't know who we truly are."

"Couldn't they just see you making up your illusions?" Tord interrupted.

"We'll get to that later," Lady Ermine dismissed. "But we had to get you together in some way, so we made plans on the assumption that you would trust us enough to come willingly with us. Since it worked, we have a mission to send you on. You four must split up and reunite those who have lost all hope. They will give you letters, but you must not open them until certain conditions have been met. The ones you reunite will tell you these conditions, but you will not know the full extent of them until you all meet up again. Should you fail this mission...you will receive dire consequences."

"Is this our next challenge for the next round of deaths, then?" Matt questioned.

Lady Ermine smiled. "You catch on quickly."

"How did you make illusions for yourselves without the masterminds seeing?" Tord demanded. He seemed intimidating, nearly jumping out of his seat accusingly. Edd figured he knew something that they didn't.

Lady Ermine leaned back in her seat. "Take out your mirror, young one. Then you will see the truth."

Matt hesitated, then pulled out his mirror. He waved it around, stalling, then pointed it at Phoenix and Aureole. He gasped.

In the mirror, there was nothing there. All he saw were empty seats. He kept looking back from the mirror to the real world, shocked and confused.

"Y-You're not real...?" Matt hardly got the words out.

Aureole nodded. "We're completely made up, all by a single person, to hide the fact that they're helping you."

Matt turned his mirror to Caspian and Cinnamon. They, too, were completely nonexistent.

"That's why I said I was hiding and everything..." Caspian sounded guilty.

"So Lady Ermine really is your boss," Tord muttered.

"But..." Matt raised his mirror. "If she had to hide herself, then who is she really?"

Lady Ermine appeared in front of Matt in a flash, grabbing his mirror roughly and turning the surface towards him. Phoenix, Aureole, Caspian, and Cinnamon looked surprised, then disappeared into thin air. 

"Don't point that thing at me," Lady Ermine growled. "I can't let you find out who I am. I cannot let them find out who I am!"

"Okay, okay, I get it, just please let go of me!" Matt shouted.

Lady Ermine let go of Matt's mirror and his hands, stepping back a little. She crossed her arms over her chest. Edd, Tom, Matt, and Tord stood up. They stared at each other for a few moments before Matt suddenly slammed the back of his mirror onto Lady Ermine's face. She let out a cry and fell backwards, holding her face in pain. Edd ran out of the room, as did Tord. Tom grabbed Matt's hand and pulled him away as well. They closed the door just as a piercing scream rang throughout the air, possibly strong enough to break Matt's mirror. Tord let out a scream afterwards, frustrated.

"Why do we always get more puzzles to solve when we already have enough on our hands?!" he shouted. "I knew something was up and I thought I was putting the pieces together when they drop that on us! I mean, one controller and several illusions adds up, but how was it done? Who did it?"

"Did you notice that Lady Ermine always covered her mouth when the others talked?" Tom pointed out. "I bet the person controlling them hid themselves as her, but couldn't hide that they were some sort of puppeteer."

"But that doesn't explain all of their behavior," Edd argued. "If only one person was controlling them and they were all nonexistent at the same time, why would they ask us not to talk on the way to meeting up with each other? And why did our visits get progressively shorter? Like, Tord, you said your visit couldn't have been more than a few minutes, right?"

"Yeah, what's your point?" Tord answered.

"Matt, how long were you searching before you found Aureole?" Edd asked.

"I guess somewhere around three to five minutes," Matt said.

"Why would they do that?" Edd questioned. "Why would one person's visit end as another one started? If one person could easily handle four illusions talking at the same time in one room, why couldn't they handle all of them at the same time in different rooms? Not to mention we were instructed not to talk after our visits, which makes it even more suspicious! Why couldn't they talk with us while we were meeting up?"

"That time pattern thing would explain why I felt so drawn to that door," Tom added. "Caspian even said they weren't expecting me to be there so early. Was whoever controlling them not ready yet?"

"I don't know." Tord sounded irritated. "This is all so confusing..."

"Matt, where are you going?" Tom suddenly called. Matt had turned down a hallway and was looking back at them with a mixture of emotions.

"We have to split up to do these missions," Matt replied. "Besides, I don't want her to come chasing after me and hurt you guys, o-or accidentally hurt you. I've smacked too many people with my mirror this month." He continued down the hallway, looking down at the ground. He felt guilty, but he didn't know what else to do. Suddenly, he bumped into something and fell to the ground.

"Oh my stars, I'm so sorry!" a voice said. "Are you alright? I didn't even see you coming!" They extended their arm to help Matt up. He took it and pulled himself up. The girl before him clutched her chest, looking worried. Matt thought she looked a little familiar, but couldn't quite remember why.

"Again, I'm so sorry about that," she repeated. "My name's Ivy. I hope you can forgive me..."

"It's no problem," Matt responded. "I'm Matt, by the way."

"That's a nice name!" Ivy exclaimed. "It was nice meeting you, but I must be on my way now. I'm in a hurry to try and find my gi- friend. I'm trying to find my friend."

"I can help you find them," Matt offered.

"No, it's fine, I-" Suddenly, Ivy gasped. "Wait. They were telling me about someone who would help me on a mission, to find her... You must be the one!" She leaped forward and grasped Matt's hands in hers. "You can help me find her!"

Matt's eyes widened, but he nodded. "Yeah, I'll help you! What's she look like?"

"She's a little taller than me and kinda chubby," Ivy explained. "She has this torn-up dress and really long greenish-blue hair, though she may have made it a different color recently. She has pretty pale skin too and sometimes wears makeup. She also has a really nice ass."

"Is that detail really necessary in finding her?" Matt asked, blushing slightly.

"Yes," Ivy deadpanned. "She ain't got some square ass like most of the dopes here. Now come on!" She grabbed Matt's arm and pulled him along the hallway. He yelped, but went along with her anyway. She led the way down the hall, looking around but not searching in any rooms.

"She likes hanging out in water rooms," Ivy said. "So if you smell salt water or something like that, that's where she is."

"I have a mirror, you know," Matt pointed out. "I can see past walls with it."

Ivy stopped, turning around to stare at him. "Why didn't you say so? Let me see that thing!" Matt pulled out his mirror and handed it to her. She poked at it, wondering how to use it. Matt snatched it back from her and pointed it at the walls. He then turned it back around so he could see the surface. As he led them through the halls, he moved the mirror around like a searchlight. He looked through the rooms, but found nothing of interest.

"Ooh!" Ivy tilted her head towards the ceiling and twitched her nose like a bunny, flaring her nostrils. "I can smell the salt water! We must be close!" She grabbed Matt's arm and ran down the hall, pulling him along.

"Hey, wait!" Matt yelled. "I need to be able to see inside the rooms to figure out where she is." Ivy slowed down and Matt continued looking around. He frowned when his mirror suddenly stopped allowing him to see through.

"Oh, boy," Ivy muttered. Matt looked up to see the hallway in front of them flooded with water. Every door had water leaking out from under it, making it impossible to know where Ivy's friend was. She looked at Matt with pleading eyes. Matt sighed and pulled her along, trudging through the water.

"How are we going to find her at this rate?" Ivy wailed. "I'll never be able to be near her again!"

"We'll find her," Matt promised.

"How do you know?" Ivy snapped. "I'm so worried about her!" Her pale blue eyes filled with tears. She was definitely close to breaking down and collapsing right there in the water.

"I can feel it," Matt assured her. "We're going to find her." He looked up and squinted down the hallway. He saw a single door that seemed to have no water coming from it. While it seemed like the most obvious choice of where Ivy's friend could not be, he found it too strange to not check out. He headed towards it, Ivy trailing sadly behind. He grabbed the doorknob and tried pulling it open. Ivy perked up upon seeing him struggle to open the door.

"Fjord always has her doors made to be pushed open!" Ivy yelled. "She must be in there! Hold on, baby, I'm coming in!" She ran over, pushing Matt aside, and practically body-slammed the door in. As soon as it was open, she cried out in joy and ran over to presumably Fjord, wrapping her arms around her.

"Ivy, honey, where have you been?" Fjord asked in a tender voice.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't keep up my human illusion for so long and I got lost and those jerks were trying to get at me and I couldn't handle it!" Ivy buried her head into Fjord's chest. She said something, albeit muffled, that made Fjord laugh out loud and push the smaller girl away from her playfully. Matt stood at the doorway awkwardly, wondering what to do.

"You weren't hurt, were you?" Fjord inquired, sounding concerned.

"Not at all!" Ivy looked up at her with loving eyes. "But the illusion stuff made me...you know." She didn't seem to want to explain it, but Fjord nodded in understanding. "Oh!" Ivy suddenly looked over at Matt. "He - Matt - helped me find you again!"

"Really?" Fjord looked over at Matt and blinked in gratitude, almost like a cat. "Thank you. I can't possibly live without her."

"Eheh..." Matt rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "You're welcome."

"Oh, another thing!" Ivy stood up and ran back over to Matt, pulling something out of her pocket. She handed a water-stained envelope to Matt that smelled faintly of salt. The stamp that sealed it had the shape of a seashell on it. "This is your letter! Uhh..." She turned to Fjord. "What were the conditions on it?"

"All your life you've worked with fours, now remember the rule of fives," Fjord recited.

"Yeah!" Ivy turned back to Matt. "What she said."

"Alright." Matt nodded, but stayed standing there. He suddenly remembered why she looked so familiar. "Wait, you're...!"

"Huh?" Ivy tilted her head.

"F-From the beginning, when we first got here!" Matt could hardly contain himself, he was so eager. "There were seven of you: Mars, Rome, Warrior, Valentino, and three others. You're one of those three!"

"Oh yeah!" Ivy smiled. "Me, Perri, and Oliver! We're good friends, though I haven't seen them in a while..."

"But...you're a ghost," Matt said bluntly. "How did you get outside of the hotel?"

Ivy's face fell. "What?"

"How were you standing outside of the hotel, completely unharmed and not trapped or anything?" Matt questioned. "Is...Is there really a way to escape?"

Ivy went pale and stammered incoherent words, unable to respond for a while. Soon, she said, "I c-can't tell you..."

Matt continued to stand there, frowning at how he wasn't able to ever get the truth. "Please, tell me?"

Fjord walked up, putting a protective hand on Ivy's shoulder. "We can't tell you or we'll all cease to exist. Stop being so stubborn or I'll jam all five of my sharp-ass fingernails into your eye sockets."

"O-Okay!" Matt slammed the door closed and ran down the hall a few feet. He did not want to go blind again. He stood there, calming himself down for a few moments.

"Why can't anyone ever tell me what's going on?" Matt asked himself, running a hand through his hair. "Well, I guess that confirmed what Valentino said, but... I'm just so confused." He looked at the letter he got, staring at the envelope curiously.

"What the hell is a rule of fives?"

*

Tom stared down the hallway Matt had gone down, then shook his head and turned back to Tord and Edd.

"Guess we should split up," he suggested.

"For once, I agree with you," Tord remarked.

"Don't get smart with me," Tom snapped. "I'm going down here." Tom headed down the first hallway he saw.

"See ya at the finish line, Jehovah's Witness!" Tord called.

"Shut up, commie!" Tom yelled back. He grumbled things under his breath and continued down the hall, wondering how he was going to stumble upon whoever he was supposed to reunite. He stopped when he heard sobbing come from behind a door. Frowning, he slowly tried pulling open the door, then realized he needed to push it open instead. It creaked as he did so.

Sitting in the room was a little girl. She was collapsed on the floor and stared up at Tom with green eyes wet from tears. She put her hands up to her mouth in shock, and then something happened to make Tom do the same.

The girl's head completely fell off of her body, rolling around on the floor. The body, surprised, turned and tried to find the head. It searched with its hands and grabbed the head by its leftover stump of a neck. It then connected the head back to the body, making it look as if they had always been connected. The girl, now whole again, stood up, holding her head to make sure it stayed on.

"Who are you?" she asked. Tom was too shocked to say anything and even stepped back a bit as she came closer. She looked slightly hurt, then stared down at the ground to seem guilty. Her head, however, once again fell off. The body looked around for it, but didn't even bother moving around to try and find it. Tom, shaking, grabbed the head from the ground and put it back on the body. The girl beamed, thanking him.

"H-Here," Tom stuttered. He moved around to the back of the girl and grabbed the little green ribbon that tied her hair into a ponytail. He pulled it out and tied it around the girl's neck instead. Once it was done, the girl's head didn't fall off again.

"Nobody's ever helped me like that," the girl commented. "I'm so glad...! Thank you!"

"Uh, no problem," Tom replied, a little scared still.

"I'm Rosi," the girl continued. "I'm looking for my mum."

"I can help you with that, if you want," Tom suggested.

"Really?" Rosi looked overjoyed. "I would love that! I haven't seen my mother since...since..." She didn't end her sentence. Instead, she looked sadly at the ground. Tom nodded in understanding and took her hand gently. He led her over to the door and together, they headed off down the hall. They searched around for a while, the only sound around them being the sound of their own footsteps. Soon, however, they found a strange door.

The door reached all the way to the ceiling. The doorknob, as well, was high up on the door. The door was decorated with strange patterns unlike any they had seen on previous doors. Tom stared up at it, letting out a huff.

"She's in there," Rosi mumbled. "I know it. I can feel it."

"Why didn't you just walk the short way over here?" Tom asked quietly. "You could've felt her with your weird ghost powers."

"I was afraid," Rosi replied. "I didn't want to lose my head every time I tried to walk. And I was scared that they would get me or those illusions would come after me again..."

Tom stopped the conversation there by reaching for the doorknob of the door. However, he was too short to reach it. He cursed in his head, as he didn't want to curse aloud around such a young girl. He stared up at the door, frowning, then got a plan. He crouched down next to Rosi, leaning his head down.

"Get on my shoulders," Tom commanded.

"Okay." Rosi climbed up on Tom's back and pushed herself onto his shoulders, as if she were getting a piggyback ride. Tom slowly stood back up. Rosi got the plan immediately, reaching for the doorknob. Her little hand clasped around it and turned it. Combining their efforts, they pulled open the door and revealed a lady sobbing in the middle of the room.

"Mummy!" Rosi cried. Tom leaned down to let her off and she ran into her mother's arms.

"Rosi!" The woman hugged Rosi tightly, afraid of losing her again. "I've been so lost without you. I've been so afraid to leave here, afraid of getting hurt or losing you forever. I'm so happy to see you again!" She pulled away and pressed a kiss to her daughter's forehead. She gasped upon seeing the ribbon around Rosi's neck. "You've let your hair down...and your ribbon?"

"I've been cursed with some sort of thing that makes my head fall off," Rosi explained. "The man over there who helped me find you put my ribbon there to keep my head on."

The woman looked up at Tom with a mixture of surprise and gratitude.

"Uh, I'm Thomas," Tom introduced. "But you can call me Tom."

The woman laughed, standing up. "Lillian," she replied. "I can't thank you enough."

"Eh, it was nothing really," Tom responded, a little flustered.

"So this must be what he was telling me..." Lillian dug around in her purse and pulled out a fancy-looking envelope. She stepped over to Tom and handed it to him. "This is for you, but you must not open it until..." She looked up at the ceiling to remember. "Meet with the Cipher, then you will see the truth of the words." She shrugged. "I don't know what it means, but hopefully you'll figure it out."

Tom nodded. "Thank you."

Lillian smiled. "No, thank you, Tom. For everything." She waved. "Good luck out there."

"You too," Tom replied. As the door closed, he turned and headed down the hallway.

He really hoped he met up with the others soon.

*

Tord stared at Tom, who was looking down the hallway Matt had gone down. Finally, he turned back to them and shrugged.

"Guess we should split up," he suggested.

"For once, I agree with you," Tord remarked. Edd snickered beside him as they began walking away.

"Don't get smart with me," Tom snapped. "I'm going down here." Immediately, Tom split from the group and headed down the first hallway they saw.

"See ya at the finish line, Jehovah's Witness!" Tord called.

"Shut up, commie!" Tord heard Tom yell back. He shook his head nonchalantly and continued going down the regular path. Edd walked beside him, sighing. Tord looked at him, concerned.

"I'm really stressed out," Edd confessed. "About all this puzzle-solving and splitting up and everything. I'm afraid we'll never find a way out and that this is all for nothing. I really hate it."

"Everyone's freaking out about it, Edd ol boy," Tord assured him. "The worst thing we can do is lose our heads about it. We're gonna get out of this together!" He wrapped an arm around Edd's shoulders. "Right?"

Edd smiled. "Right, because we're the Eddsworld gang, and we always find some magical way out of every predicament we find ourselves in!"

"That's the spirit!" Tord shouted. The two of them laughed as they continued down the hall. They soon came across a split in the hallway.

"Well, I guess this is where we say our farewells for now," Edd realized.

"Yeah." Tord glanced at him. "You gonna be alright?"

Edd waved it off. "I'll be fine. See ya at the finish line." He headed down the hallway on the left.

"See ya," Tord said, and walked down the right hall. He soon stopped when he noticed a small figure pacing around in a circle, seemingly not noticing him at all. They were muttering something and looked scared. Tord stepped closer, hoping to calm them down.

"I can't believe myself," they were saying. "I've lost him again. I can't keep doing this, I have to stop letting him go off by himself or get distracted or- Ugh!" The person slammed their fist into the wall, looking close to tears.

"Hey, do you need help?" Tord inquired.

"Huh?" The person - Tord could see now that they were a little boy - looked up. "Oh, yeah, I guess..."

"You seem pretty stressed," Tord pointed out.

"Yeah, I am," the boy admitted. "It's my best friend, Flick. He's super fast and gets out of my sight easily and he's so weak that every illusion makes him faint. I really want to protect him, because I already contributed to him losing his life and I don't want to let him down again." He ran a hand through his hair, looking guilty.

"I can help you find him, if you'd like," Tord suggested.

"Really?" The boy stared up at him, beaming. "That'd be so great! My name's Enzo, by the way."

"I'm Tord," Tord said. "I guess we should go down this hall."

"Yeah!" Enzo clung to Tord's side. "I hope I'm not too much of a bother during this mission. I'm really slow, like in speed, but I can smell bacon from like a mile away! I'm also strong, but really emotional. And very short, but not as short as Flick! He's so tiny, even for just a fourteen year old. Sorry, I talk a lot when I'm stressed."

"That's okay," Tord assured him. "If it keeps you from doing something stupid or makes you feel better, I don't mind."

"That's good!" Enzo exclaimed. "Flick's really energetic, so he talks pretty much all the time. I usually keep quiet, but when I'm getting emotional, I talk a lot so maybe I don't cry. Flick always gets really quiet so people don't notice his voice cracking. He's kinda cute when his voice cracks, honestly. He's such a great person, and so innocent. I wish there was some way of protecting him forever. I want to stay friends with him forever, and keep him safe, and make sure he's always happy. He hasn't been very happy lately. I hate it when he cries. I just want to kiss his tears away but he might think I'm weird, a-and I don't want to lose our friendship. Oh, look at that, I'm crying now. So much for talking keeping me from getting emotional!"

Enzo laughed, but it had no humor to it. He tried wiping his tears away, but they only flowed more. He turned his face away, but Tord still stared at him with a concerned expression.

"I'm sorry," Enzo sobbed. "I just really need help!" He stopped walking and started wailing, completely breaking down. He shook from the weight of his sobs and breathed heavily, hardly able to even take a breath. Tord crouched down to his height, putting reassuring hands on his shoulders.

"I'm so worried about him," Enzo cried. "I want him to be safe and happy, but who knows what they're doing to him out there? He's so fragile and if I'm not there to protect him, nobody will! What if I never find him again? What if he's already been killed again and now I'll never have him back? I don't want him to never know how I feel, or how much I'd give just for him to be happy and protected!"

"Hey, kid, it's okay," Tord comforted. "We're gonna find him, I promise. You'll be able to tell him everything you want to and protect him forever. If you're honest with him, I'm sure he'll understand. If not, then he's not a true friend. After all, it seems like you'd give your life for him."

"I did that already," Enzo sobbed. "I tried protecting him, but I failed, so I killed myself anyway. I can't live without him."

"I know that feeling," Tord remarked. "Now let's go find him. You can hitch a ride on my back or something, if you want."

Enzo's eyes widened. "I haven't had a piggyback ride in ages." He climbed onto Tord's back eagerly, holding onto him tightly. The kid felt completely weightless, as if Tord only held air. Tord figured it was because he was a ghost. He stood up and carried him down the hallway, finding it strange that there were no doors around. He frowned, then suddenly stopped when he saw someone standing in the middle of the hallway. Enzo let out a little gasp.

"Flick!" he cried. Tord felt a strange feeling pass through him, and suddenly Enzo was running in front of him towards Flick. Tord blinked, wondering if Enzo had just passed through him like a ghost would a wall. He stared at the heartwarming scene before him as Enzo tackled Flick to the ground.

"I was so worried about you," Enzo confessed.

"I was worried about you too!" Flick exclaimed. "I was really scared, especially when I heard you coming because I thought it was one of those guys again. I hate being without you!"

"Then why do you run off?" Enzo inquired.

"I'm sorry, I just get scared or excited so easily and then I don't notice that you're not with me until it's too late," Flick admitted.

"Please don't ever do that again," Enzo pleaded.

"I won't," Flick promised. He struggled a bit, making Enzo stand up. He pulled Flick up along with him, then hugged him again.

"You don't realize how much I care about you," Enzo whispered.

"Well, you are my best friend, after all," Flick replied.

"I feel like it's more than that," Enzo confessed. "I mean... I want to protect you all the time, and I always want you to be happy, and there's so much I want to tell you but I feel like it'd be a bit awkward for the person behind us."

"There's another person here?" Flick seemed completely oblivious to Tord's presence.

"Yeah." Enzo let go of Flick and gestured to Tord. "That's Tord. He helped me find you."

"Oh, hi!" Flick waved to him. "Thank you!"

Tord shrugged, mumbling something about how it was no problem.

"And that reminds me." Enzo pulled a burnt-looking envelope out of his pocket. "Here, Tord!" He ran over and handed it to him. "You need this, but you can't open it until... What was the condition again, Flick?"

"Wasn't it something about blood?" Flick seemed unsure.

"Oh yeah!" Enzo beamed and turned back to Tord. "Donate a drop for the Decoder, and your sight will be clear."

"Well, I already know who isn't gonna have fun doing that," Tord remarked.

"Yeah, Flick would faint if we ever had to do that!" Enzo laughed. "But, um... Thank you. For your comforting words and all that. I'm so happy I get to be with Flick again!" He ran back to Flick and hugged him again, picking him up and spinning him around. Everyone laughed, truly happy, if only for a moment.

*

Edd trudged down the hallway, immediately more worried and depressed now that he was alone. However, as soon as he considered turning back and finding Tord, something bumped straight into him.

"Hey, what's with the roadblock?" the person cried. "Was a whale beached-" The person looked up and saw Edd. Their eyes widened. "Oh. Oh my gosh I'm so sorry."

Edd raised an eyebrow. "Uh, some offense taken, but you'll be forgiven. Eventually. Who are you, by the way?"

"I'm Leonidas," the boy said. He ran a hand through his fluffy mane of hair. "I'm looking for my sister, Lewellyn. She's my twin. I need her to finish my sentences for me."

Edd didn't even crack a smile.

Leonidas laughed sheepishly. "A-Anyways, I need to go...Find her. Yeah. See ya!" He started running off, but Edd grabbed his arm. He yelped.

"I can help you find her," Edd offered. "Two pairs of eyes are better than one."

"Uh, yeah!" Leonidas looked happy, but nervous. "Let's go, then."

"What does she look like?" Edd asked.

"Like me!" Leonidas immediately exclaimed. "I mean, uh, she has freckles, though. Her hair's a bit curlier, too."

"This should be a fairly easy task, then," Edd commented.

"Yeah!" Leonidas seemed excited. "We're usually always together, but this man took her away!"

"A man?" Edd inquired.

"Yeah." Leonidas averted his gaze. "I was just looking inside of a room for a way out, but then she started screaming. I looked back and I only got a glimpse of her being taken away when there was this flash of light and what felt like this time skip. When it stopped, she was gone."

"That's awful," Edd remarked.

"Yeah!" Leonidas agreed. "And then today, when I was still looking for her, this guy came up to me and gave me a letter and told me to give it to whoever reunited us. And then he gave me these other instructions that I'm supposed to tell you whenever I see Lew again. It was really creepy..."

"Yikes." Edd didn't really know how to respond. "I kinda feel the same way, though. We were just pushed into this situation and there's so many secrets we have to uncover and so many puzzles we have to solve."

Leonidas blinked. "You're a human, aren't you?"

Edd stared at him. "If you mean I'm still alive, yeah."

"Oh." Leonidas looked down, wringing his hands together. "I'm dead. Lew and I both are. It's weird, being dead. You feel so empty. Sometimes things that used to affect you so much turn into things that you could care less about, and vice versa. Not to mention, you gain all these weird powers that sometimes you can't control. I don't really like it..."

"I don't think I would either," Edd sighed.

"Leo!" a voice yelled.

"That's Lew!" Leonidas realized. "Lew!"

"Leo!" Lewellyn shouted again.

"I'm here, Lew!" Leonidas ran down the hall, Edd on his heels. "I'm coming for you, Lew!"

"Leo, I'm over here!" Lewellyn called. "I'm here!"

Leonidas kept running, trying to go faster. When he spotted a figure in the distance, he screamed Lew's name and sprinted down the hallway. As soon as he could make out that it was Lewellyn, he jumped to her. She ran over and jumped over to him too. They wrapped their arms around each other, hugging so much that they might break each other's spines.

"Are you okay?" Leonidas asked. "Did they hurt you? Where were you? I have so many questions!"

"I'm fine," Lewellyn replied. "I wasn't hurt at all. They brought me to this room full of dolls, and I found my old stuffed bear that I brought with me. But they didn't let me have him. They told me he belonged to someone else now, so I cried. But now that I have you, maybe we can get him back before he gets torn apart or something!"

"Dolls are creepy," Leonidas complained. "But I'll get your bear back for you! We'll get him together!"

"Did you get followed?" Lewellyn inquired, noticing Edd standing behind Leonidas.

"Oh." Leonidas looked back to Edd. "He helped me find you again. Well, really, I probably could've found you on my own, but he talked with me and wanted to help! He made me less scared to walk around here."

"You're always such a scaredy-cat," Lewellyn commented.

"Am not!" Leonidas argued, indignant.

"Are too!"

Edd laughed. They acted like such children. In fact, they looked like children, considering they were so small. He wondered if that was an illusion thing or if they really were children.

"I guess I should give you this letter now that we're together again," Leonidas realized. He walked over to Edd and pulled an orange envelope sealed with some sort of lion emblem out of his pocket. He handed it to Edd, saying, "You can't open this until..." He hesitated a bit. "The message was that a life will be lost, and then the guts will be opened to the air." He stared at Edd's shocked and disgusted expression. "I know. It's awful."

"Hey, Leo, can we go now?" Lewellyn questioned. "I wanna find some way out of here."

"Okay!" Leonidas looked up at Edd. "Be careful, okay?" He then ran down the hallway and grabbed Lewellyn's hand. Together, they traveled down a path and disappeared.

"Well," Edd mumbled, "guess I'm alone again." He went down the hall that Leonidas and Lewellyn had not gone down and ended up in a diamond-shaped room. Across from him and to his sides were more hallways. He sighed and stayed where he was, not wanting to try and make decisions as to where to go next. He hoped that maybe everyone would end up here and they could figure out what to do with these letters.

Almost as if on cue, Tom and Matt entered the room from the hall across from Edd. They were laughing about something. When they noticed Edd, they called his name in unison.

"Hey guys," Edd greeted.

"You won't believe how funny Matt can be," Tom commented. 

"I didn't even think it was that funny!" Matt giggled.

"What's the commotion in here?" Tord asked, entering from the hallway on Edd's right.

"Apparently Matt made a funny joke," Edd explained. "How'd you two end up together, anyway?"

"My hallway somehow ended somewhere in the middle of the hall that Matt went down," Tom responded. "We decided to stick together and now we're here."

"Can we talk about these letters?" Matt questioned. "I'm really confused about them."

"Oh yeah." Tord pulled out his envelope, as did everyone else. They gathered in the middle, looking at them. "Did everyone get clues about them?"

"Mine was about how I always worked with fours, but now I have to do fives," Matt said. "I don't get it at all."

"Apparently we have to meet with some Cipher guy to decode the letters, I guess," Tom replied. "That's what my message was."

"I was told that we have to donate blood in order to be able to read them," Tord muttered. "Hopefully we only have to prick ourselves..."

Everyone stared at Edd, waiting for him to say something. He sighed.

"He told me that a life must be lost, and then we can see the insides," Edd mumbled.

"What?" Matt's eyes widened in panic.

"So we have to meet with a Cipher guy, donate some blood, kill someone, and then do something about the number five in order to open these," Tom concluded.

"What the fuck?" Tord voiced their thoughts.

"Someone help!" a voice screamed.

Edd, Tom, Matt, and Tord all turned their heads to the hallway that nobody had come from. Suddenly, someone wearing a blue dress rushed in. Tord recognized them.

"Mattie!" Tord rushed over to her. "What's wrong?"

"I'm so glad to see you right now." Mattie wiped some tears from her face. "It's Lonnie."

"What happened?" Matt asked.

"L-Lonnie and I, we had a fight," Mattie explained through sobs. "I said some things I shouldn't have, and he ran off. I don't know where he is and I'm so worried about him!" Mattie's voice rose to a wail.

"We'll help you find him," Tom said.

"But he's so reckless!" Mattie wailed. "What if he's already dead? What if he's gone to kill himself because of what I said, or he's trying to find an escape? I don't want him to die!" 

"Then we better haul ass to him!" Tord concluded. "Where's a room where we can sort of head to as a guideline?"

"The lobby would probably be a good start," Edd suggested.

Tord nodded. "Then let's get over to the foyer."

"It's pronounced foy-ay," Tom corrected.

"Shut up, Tom, you're ruining my cool moment!"


	30. Breaking Apart

Mattie led the way down the hallway, running as fast as her legs could carry her. Tord stayed right on her heels, staying close to her since he was the only other person who knew what Lonnie looked like. Edd, Tom, and Matt trailed right behind them.

"Lonnie!" Mattie called for the umpteenth time. Her voice was starting to give out from how much she had been shouting Lonnie's name this whole time. However, she had even said before that she'd still be yelling for him even when she had completely lost her ability to talk. Suddenly, she skidded to a stop. Edd and Matt were grateful for the sudden stop, as they were nearly completely out of breath.

"What's going on?" Tom questioned.

"There's three pathways here," Tord explained.

"Pick the one on the right," Tom suggested.

"Nah, I'd rather go for the straight one," Tord joked. 

Mattie glared at him.

"Sorry," Tord gulped.

"Uh, guys?"

Everyone looked back at Matt, who was staring into his mirror.

"There's Overshadowers here," he said.

"Ugh, are we ever going to be free?" Tom groaned.

"Do they have some complex riddle for us to solve, too?" Edd asked.

"Yes, we do!" the three Overshadowers sang in unison. The two to their sides were Ferals, while the last was a Walker.

"What is it?" Tord asked.

"One of us always tells the truth," one Feral said.

"One of us always lies," the other Feral added.

"And the last of us replies randomly," the Walker stated.

"By asking us any number of yes or no questions..." the first Feral began.

"You must figure out which of us lies, which of us tells the truth, and which of us is random," the second Feral finished.

"Also, the path that leads to Lonnie is not going to be behind the one who answers randomly," the Walker added.

"Good luck!" they all shouted.

"This is stupid!" Mattie yelled back. "I don't have time for this, I just wanna know where Lonnie is!"

"He's down that way," the Overshadowers said, all pointing their tails in different directions and laughing.

"Mattie, come on, it'll go quicker if we just figure it out now," Tord said.

"Fine." Mattie walked over to him, where he was forming a close circle with Edd, Tom, and Matt. "How are we supposed to solve this?"

"I've heard this riddle before," Tom began. "It's similar to the hardest logic puzzle in the world. Thank god they changed the rules a bit."

"So what do we do?" Matt asked.

"Well, first, we need to figure out which one is the random," Tom answered. "Since they'd answer randomly, it'd be tough to go in trying to find out who's the truth-teller and who's the liar. Therefore, we ask a question that Truth and Lie cannot answer: a paradox."

"A paradox?" Edd echoed.

"Yep. If we ask them a paradox, the Truth couldn't answer honestly and the Lie couldn't lie about it. However, since Random answers randomly, they'll be the only one able to say anything about it. In fact, I've got just the question in mind." Tom broke away from the circle and stepped into the middle of the intersecting hallways. He glanced at the Overshadowers and cleared his throat.

With a loud voice, he asked, "Is this statement false?"

The Walker immediately piped up, "No!"

However, the Ferals did not answer. They stared at each other nervously. Tom smirked to himself and went back to the others. They gaped at him.

"How does that even work?" Edd inquired.

"The paradox is that the statement's honesty goes on in a loop forever," Tom explained. "If the statement were false, it'd be true that it was false. If it were true, it'd be false that it was true. Since it can't possibly be either answer, both Truth and Lie can't answer in their respective ways. However, since Random answers randomly, they can say whatever and it'll still hold up."

"So how do we figure out where Lonnie is?" Mattie immediately questioned.

"Simple," Tom replied. "We ask them what they would say if I asked them what the correct path to Lonnie is." Tom stepped back to the hallway and looked at both of the Ferals.

"Since I now know that the Walker is Random," Tom began, "I would like to ask you Ferals something. If I asked either of you what the correct path to Lonnie is, would you say that the correct path is your path?"

"Yes," the Feral on the left answered just as the Feral on the right answered, "No."

"So it's done," Tom concluded. "The left Feral is Truth, the right Feral is Lie, and the correct path to Lonnie is down the left there."

"You got it," the Overshadowers answered sadly. They moved aside from their paths to let them through.

"How the hell does that work?!" Tord screamed as he and the others headed down the correct hall.

"Well, the correct path could not be behind Random, so both of them only had two paths to choose from," Tom elaborated. "If I asked them what path to take, they would both say their own, so it would be impossible to figure out who was telling the truth. However, I asked them if they would say their own path led to Lonnie. Both of them, as I said earlier, would tell me that they would, but the liar would have to lie about saying that they would. Therefore, they had to answer no, while the truth-teller told me yes. It's as easy as that."

"I hate riddles," Matt grumbled.

"I have an idea," Mattie cut in. "How about we stop talking and get to looking for Lonnie already?! You guys move so damn slow!" Mattie ran down the hall, far ahead of the group. "Lonnie!" she screamed. "I'm coming for you, baby! I'm sorry about what I said! I don't care if you forgive me or not, just...please be alright!"

"I really hope we find him soon," Edd panted. "My legs are ready to give out."

"I feel the same way," Matt complained.

"I thought you worked out," Tord said.

"It doesn't mean I'm able to run a marathon," Matt argued.

"Lonnie!" Mattie yelled again. "Where are you? Lonnie! Lonnie, Lon...nie..." Mattie slowed down and then collapsed on the ground. In front of her were swinging axes and guillotines ready to rip them to shreds when passing through. She stared at them, tears coming to her eyes. Edd, Tom, Matt, and Tord arrived behind her, also staring in disbelief at the weaponry.

"We'll never find him," Mattie sobbed. "He's going to die, all because of me. God damn it..." She hid her face in her hands. "I'm such an idiot. Why did I have to argue with him? Why was I such a jerk?!" She cried even harder.

"Hey." Tord sat next to her. "I know it feels like a fruitless effort by now, but we gotta keep trying. We can't lose hope now that we've gotten so far. I bet he's out there, still waiting for us. We can't give up. We can't let him down."

"But..." Mattie stared up at the blades swinging in front of them. "How are we supposed to get past all of this?"

"I have a mirror," Matt replied simply. "If they're illusions, I can get them out of the way easily!" Matt looked at his mirror, which swirled with colors, and touched the surface. It bubbled up, turning a fiery orange. He then pointed it at the obstacles. With a blast of light rivaling an explosion, the blades disappeared...

Except for one.

There was still a guillotine left at the end of the hallway, and it wasn't going away anytime soon. Matt stared down at his mirror, scared. He didn't know what to do now.

"I have an idea," Edd suddenly said. "I need to borrow your mirror, Matt. I promise I won't break it."

Matt nodded and handed his mirror to Edd. The brunet walked straight up to the guillotine and tossed Matt's mirror under it. The blade landed on the mirror, but didn't break through it. It merely stopped, not going up anymore. Edd looked back and gave everyone a thumbs-up, then jumped over the top of the blade. He waved at them from the other side. Mattie leaped up and followed Edd's movements, as did Tom and Tord. Matt went last, grabbing his mirror from the safe side once everyone was over. The guillotine began moving again, but none of them were harmed.

"Hell yeah baby!" Mattie shouted, running down the hall with the others following her. "Now we can get back to searching for my lovely boy! Lonnie, we're coming for-"

Suddenly, the floor beneath Mattie's feet completely broke apart. She had no time to react as she fell through and got caught on the splintering wood. She let out a choked cry, trying to push herself back up onto the floor. However, something under the floorboards was grabbing onto her. Even from a safe point, the others could see something shifting below. Hands began snaking up Mattie's leg and clawing at her skin. She yelped in pain and kicked her legs in the hope that the creature would stop.

"Hold on!" Tord yelled. He ran over and grabbed Mattie beneath her underarms, hoisting her up. The hands grabbed onto her harder, making scratches across her leg.

"Stop it!" Mattie screeched. "That just hurts more!"

"Okay, okay." Tord let go of her and stepped back. He looked at the others helplessly. They stared back, not knowing what to do.

"Oh god, they're getting my ankle!" Mattie's voice raised to a wail. "Stop it! It hurts!" She screamed out in pain, tears streaming down her face.

"Let go of her!" Matt demanded, pointing his mirror below the floor at the creature. It made a strange groaning sound.

"It's starting to back away, I think," Mattie whimpered. "Keep going."

"I said let go of her!" Matt screamed. "I have a mirror and I'm not afraid to use it!"

The creature continued groaning, but let go of Mattie and retreated its hands into the depths. Matt kept pointing his mirror at it until Mattie was safely out of the hole. She stood up on wobbly legs. Her left leg was bleeding from terrible scratch marks and was already starting to bruise. Her ankle was hidden beneath a boot, but Tord could tell it was causing her pain.

"Let's go," Mattie choked out, "find Lonnie..." She hobbled forward, clinging to the wall for support.

"We need to help you, first," Tord argued.

"No!" Mattie shouted. "We have to get to Lonnie before anything else."

Tord sighed. "Alright, but at least let me carry you."

Mattie stared at him weirdly.

"You can't walk for shit, so carrying you would help us travel faster," he explained.

"O-Oh, yeah." Mattie rubbed her face, thankful that her skin was dark. Tord picked her up bridal-style and looked back at the others. They gathered up behind him, ready to get running again.

"Ready?" Tord asked Mattie.

"More than I've ever been in my whole damn life," Mattie remarked. She pointed down the hallway. "Let's get the hell outta dodge!"

Tord smiled and then sprinted off down the hallway. He led them down a straight path, as there were no different paths or even doors down here. Mattie called Lonnie's name, and Tom and Edd even helped her since her voice was hoarse. Matt looked at his mirror, making sure there were no more creatures lurking around to ruin their day.

"I recognize this hall!" Tord suddenly exclaimed. "We must be near the lobby, I can sense it!"

"Lonnie!" Mattie screamed his name even louder. "Please be here!"

"There it is!" Matt pointed out. Just a few yards ahead was the very first room of the hotel. They noticed that the rose-colored forcefield that had been on the door for so long was no longer there. They also could all see something bright green standing there. Mattie's eyes widened.

"Lonnie!" she shouted again. As they reached the entrance to the room, she reached out her hand to him. She desperately wanted to get closer, to hug him and tell him everything was okay.

However, her wish never came true.

A bright flash and the crackle of electricity reverberated throughout the halls. Everyone covered their eyes, but they couldn't stop themselves from hearing the sickening burst of electricity and smelling singed flesh. When they thought it safe to open their eyes again, they wished they never had.

Lonnie lay on the floor of the hotel, just in front of the door. The doorknob smoked and a few stray sparks jumped from it. Lonnie, however, was completely unmoving. His body smoked as well and his head lolled to the side. Across his few patches of revealed skin were horrible scars shaped like the lightning that had coursed through his veins, forever reminding everyone about what happened. Mattie whimpered his name. Tord put her back down on the ground. She hopped over to Lonnie and sat next to him.

"Lonnie?" she whispered. "Please, get up. We were going to escape together and have our own lives. We were going to be free. Come on, just tell me you're okay..." Tears fell from her eyes. She shook Lonnie's corpse as she talked. "Please..."

"Maybe it's an illusion death?" Matt knew his suggestion was false, but he had to say something.

"It can't be," a familiar voice said. The four turned to see Mars suddenly standing beside them, leaning against the wall. "If you try to escape through that front door, it kills you. There's no illusion to it."

"No, no," Mattie argued. "It has to be an illusion. He can't be dead, not now..."

"He is," Mars retorted. "He either wanted to find an escape and died that way, or already knew that it would kill him and therefore wanted to kill himself."

"He was wanting to get out of here so badly," Mattie stated. "He just wanted to escape, while I wanted to find out what was going on. I should've listened to him. I should've stayed with him, so this wouldn't have happened..."

"So either way, this is all your fault," Mars concluded.

Mattie started shaking as she sobbed. Soon, however, she said angrily, "No. No, it's not my fault. It's all your fault!"

"Oh, how original, blaming me for everything," Mars replied dryly.

"It is your fault!" Mattie shouted, not even looking at him. "You led us here! You knew what was going on and didn't even tell us! You wanted us to die here!"

"You just keep telling yourself that," Mars sighed. "I don't want to stay here and listen to your sniveling, grieving self. Nor do I want to stay in such an electricity-infested room." He shied away from a stray spark and shivered, then walked back down the hall from which he came. Edd, Tom, Matt, and Tord stared after him, then turned back to Mattie.

"Do you, uh, need...company?" Tom inquired.

"Leave me alone, please," Mattie responded. "I want to say a few more words to him, in peace."

The four nodded in understanding and walked away. Mattie listened to their footsteps fade away. She stared down at Lonnie, too in shock to even care that she was holding a fresh corpse in her lap. Her thumbs instinctively rubbed circles into his hands and her fingers traced his scars. Her tears fell directly onto his face, which was frozen in an emotionless expression. 

"This is not a cartoon where your tears can magically bring someone back to life, you know," a voice remarked. Mattie flinched, startled, and looked behind her. Valentino had appeared at the entrance to the room without her even noticing. He stepped over to her, sitting against the wall.

"I know that already," Mattie told him. "I can't keep myself from crying. What are you doing here anyways?"

"I am here to comfort you," Valentino stated simply. In a sudden thick Spanish accent, he added, "And I am the janitor."

"What the hell is a yanitor?" Mattie asked.

Valentino reverted back to his normal voice and replied, "I was trying to make you laugh. Everyone laughs at Spanish people."

"I'm not exactly going to laugh when my boyfriend is dead in my arms," Mattie said dryly.

"To each their own." Valentino shrugged and leaned against the wall comfortably. He put his hands behind his head and closed his eyes. Mattie raised an eyebrow at his behavior.

"Are you not going to leave?" Mattie inquired.

"I have told you before, I am like a rose," Valentino responded, his eyes still closed. "Sweet and comforting when you need it, and a thorn in your side when you least expect it. I can be either one right now if you wish me to be."

"Well, you said your job was to comfort people, but you're not doing a very good job at it," Mattie retorted.

Valentino opened one eye and scoffed, "What, do you want me to tell you everything that you failed at doing?" Valentino shifted his position so he could look directly at Mattie. "I mean, you failed to protect him, you failed to find him in time, you failed your own plan, you failed your family, you failed lots of things. Even your own plan here was flawed. What you wanted to do was get Lonnie away from his transphobic family and have fun in a place that could take his mind off the pain before you ran away to your little LonLon Ranch together and shagged daily." Valentino waved his hand dismissively in the middle of his last sentence.

Mattie's eyes were wide. "H-How do you know all that?"

Valentino smiled. "I know many things."

Mattie frowned. "Well, you certainly don't know empathy, but I guess it's no wonder you're such a sociopath." Her voice rose in volume thanks to her anger. "I bet you've never lost someone so close to you!"

The room suddenly shifted in hue to a deep gradient of blue. A chandelier dangling from the ceiling shuddered and created an ethereal glow. Mattie looked around, startled at the change. She also noticed that the way leading out of the room seemed to no longer exist, or maybe the colors were just hiding it. When she looked back to Valentino, he held an unidentifiable expression on his face.

"I have lost so many more things than you could count on your own two hands," Valentino said coldly.

Mattie stood her ground, frowning at him despite her fear. "Oh, really? I'm surprised you even know human emotion!"

Valentino clenched his teeth. His eyes gazed downward, to her scratches left by the creature from before. She stared at him, ready to berate him for acting so weird, but he looked up at her eyes before she could say anything.

"I know who made those," Valentino told her. "An abomination, a creature made by the vengeful spirits of my own old friends. An amalgamation of hatred and hopelessness, always searching for a missing piece, for the next part of their disgusting, cursed form." He suddenly smiled. "Yet I cannot help but admire their strength. I still love them. After all, I am why they are trapped here, why they are dead. I feel guilty."

"You're fucking insane," Mattie spat.

"I guess I am." Valentino's smile grew wider. "I have lost so many things, sanity has to be one of them." He laughed, as if it was a joke that he was falling apart. "I have lost everything and everyone. How could I ever be right again? Well, I never was. I was born flawed, born some sort of demon that could never be normal, never be loved."

"What the hell are you going on about?" Mattie shouted. Deep down inside she felt afraid of what Valentino might do, afraid of the unexpected. However, she was even more afraid that he would know she was scared, so she covered it up with fury.

"You're so scared," Valentino whispered.

_Well, so much for covering it up._

"I can feel it," Valentino continued. "Every emotion living inside of you, every mask you have put on to try and keep me from seeing them. Everyone is like that. Everyone is always so afraid." Valentino turned to look at Mattie. His face held a slight twinge of sadness, but his eyes read complete insanity. "Why are you afraid?" he asked. "Do you know what I've done?"

Mattie's eyes widened. "What you've done?"

Valentino laughed without any humor. "Nobody knows what happened. Of course you would not know. And no, I am not telling you what I did."

Mattie narrowed her eyes. "Did it have something to do with Lonnie?"

Valentino stared at her. He searched her face, looking for any sign of her being afraid. For a split second, she cracked, but tightened her resolve right after. Immediately Valentino burst into laughter. She flinched, startled at his erratic behavior.

"Lonnie worked on his own," Valentino explained, wiping tears from his eyes. "He wanted to escape. He did not want you near him anymore. He felt like you had hated him the whole time. You did not care until you had messed up. You did not care until it was too late."

"No!" Mattie yelled. "It- It was your fault! You took us in here, you're acting all strange, of course you would make him kill himself!"

Valentino looked hurt. "It is always like this," he remarked. "Always putting the blame on other people, always denying their own faults. And always, always, always..."

The room went silent for a few moments. The blues of the room swirled around, making it feel tranquil. Mattie hoped this meant Valentino would leave her alone.

"I'm always blamed for it!" Valentino screamed. He slammed his fists into the ground, making the room's color change into several orangey-reds. The chandelier still hanging from the ceiling shook violently as it happened. It looked like an explosion had occurred across the walls. Mattie felt afraid to get too close to the walls - or Valentino, for that matter - in fear of them burning her.

"Every time anything bad happens," Valentino began, "people always point the fingers at me. What did I do? Why does everyone hate me so goddamn much?!"

Valentino stomped his foot into the ground. As the colors of the room changed again, now turning a sickly green, the chandelier quivered yet again. It somehow emanated an eerie light that covered Valentino's features. He stood up quickly, then held his head in pain. He nearly fell over from the sudden head rush. Once he regained his balance, he stared down at Mattie with disgust.

"Why does everyone insist on always hating me?" Valentino asked her. "Be honest with me. Tell me why you blame me!"

Mattie didn't know what to say. She had a feeling that anything she could say would result in him getting angry with her. She was too afraid to do anything. She looked down at the ground, not saying anything. All she could do was whimper as tears began falling from her eyes again.

"Disgusting creatures," Valentino muttered. "All of you. Tasteless, vengeful, stubborn beings that are all out to get me. And for what?" He stepped over to Lonnie's corpse, staring down at it angrily. With clenched teeth, he said more insults under his breath. Unexpectedly, he pushed his foot down onto Lonnie's hand. When Mattie heard the popping of breaking bones, she looked up and gasped.

"Stop!" she wailed. She grabbed Valentino's leg and wrenched it away from Lonnie, pulling it upwards. Losing his balance, Valentino fell to the ground with a thud. He growled, glaring at Mattie with eyes full of malice.

"What the hell is the matter with you?" Mattie inquired. "Why are you trying to break him even more?"

"That," Valentino pointed at the body as he spoke, "is not a him. That is an it. A corpse, an object, he is nothing anymore. It does not matter if it is broken further. It cannot feel. It cannot scream. It is an object with no further use in this world. And you..." Valentino narrowed his eyes. "...are the same."

"What are you talking about?" Mattie cried. "I have a purpose, even if it can't include Lonnie anymore!"

"You are trapped here," Valentino told her. "You cannot do anything anymore. You are nothing anymore. Once someone enters here, they are wiped off the face of this planet. They will never be found. They are worthless. Nobody will care anymore, because nobody cares until it is too late."

"You're wrong." Mattie's voice was choked from her tears. "I'm still worth something. People still care."

"I am not talking about the outside world." Valentino's voice turned cold. He slowly stood up, looking blankly off into the distance. The green light only made his stare that much more eerie. "I am talking about you. Your mistakes. How you failed to care about him until it was too late. How you did not care until the threat of his death came to light." Valentino's voice suddenly choked up, making him stop talking. Mattie wondered if he was crying too.

"You don't have to do this," Mattie whispered. "You don't have to tell me what I already know."

Valentino was silent for several moments. Finally, in a sudden clear voice, he said, "Everyone deserves to know. So many people must be reminded of their faults, so they can change. It needs to be drilled into their heads so they can realize what they have done." The room began changing color slowly, from green to blue to red then back to green. As Valentino spoke more, it began changing more rapidly. The chandelier swung back and forth in time with the color changes. "They need to realize the consequences. They need to realize the truth. So many people need to realize...they need to know..."

"What do they need to know?" Mattie's voice was so quiet, she doubted that Valentino even heard her.

But Valentino did.

"Nobody cares until it's too late!" he screamed. The room flashed in an explosion of light and Mattie heard a concerning sound come from the ceiling. When it was all over, the hue of the room had turned red. Mattie looked up to see the chandelier had torn out of its placement a bit, but was still hanging on. Valentino turned to Mattie, tears streaming down his face.

"Nobody realizes!" he shouted. "Nobody knows that they only care when something is going wrong. Look around you! There is so much to show you that nobody knows this fact, but it is true!" Valentino pulled up his sleeves as far as they could go. He turned his arms so the insides could be seen easily and held them out to Mattie. Her eyes widened at the sight of all the scars. 

"This is clear evidence that nobody cares," Valentino sobbed. "If you could see the damage to my liver and brain over the course of my life, you would see even more. If you could read my diaries, if you could travel back in time and see what I have been through, you would know that nobody fucking cares until your life is on the line. And even then, it is never enough to help them. It is never enough to reduce the damage, to reverse the pain." He turned away from her, pulling his sleeves back down again almost angrily. He bit down on one of his nails nervously.

"It all falls apart after a while," Valentino continued. "I don't know what goes first - your brain or your body." He tangled his fingers in his hair, looking crazed. His eyes seemed to glow in the red light. His voice changed pitches at random moments, making him sound completely insane. "But whatever goes, you're hurting. You're locking yourself in the bathroom for hours to see your own blood run down the drain and crying so much you lose track of how many tears have puddled on the ground. You're shoveling makeup onto your face so that nobody can see the tear stains like lightning coming from your eyes and the dark sprites sleeping beneath your eyelids - quite unlike yourself every night of your life. You're hoarding the food you love the most and every bottle of alcohol you own so you can destroy your body even further than anyone could ever manage. You're hiding in your room every hour of the day so nobody can hear your voice strangled by sobs and nobody can tell you haven't been sleeping, only leaving to hoard more or to cut violin strings across your skin. You're popping pills faster than you pop the buttons on your old clothes just to see what combination of drugs will make you pass out the fastest and get away from the wretched world of hurt and regret." His voice broke and the room turned blue as he concluded, "That's what happens when your whole world breaks apart."

All Mattie could think about as Valentino ranted was Lonnie. Had that been how he felt? Was that why he broke apart like that? This whole situation - Lonnie dying and Valentino becoming insane in front of her eyes - was scaring Mattie. She didn't want to be here, but the exit was gone and she had no way out. Even if she could leave, she was too afraid that Valentino would chase her down. She didn't know what to say and she felt completely frozen. It was infuriating her.

"Why don't you get ahold of yourself?" Mattie suggested. "You can sit down and relax, calm down a bit. We can talk about it. We can sympathize. Maybe it would make us both feel better."

"Calm...down?" Valentino sounded as if he had never heard the phrase.

"Yeah." Mattie smiled to seem more welcoming. She hoped this was working. "It'll make you feel better if we just talk about it."

Valentino stared in front of him, looking slightly scared. He swallowed. "I'll feel better?" His voice was small and unsure.

Mattie nodded. "Of course."

Valentino let out a short laugh. "How could that ever happen when I'm broken beyond repair?" he inquired quietly. "Why would you even suggest that?" His hands balled into fists.

" _Can't you see I'm falling apart_?!" he screamed, the room exploding into a fusion of colors. As Mattie had been expecting for a long time now, the chandelier fell from the ceiling and shattered onto the floor, making the room turn back to normal. Valentino yelped and jumped away from the impact. He whimpered, backing up into the wall. He slid down it and moved his head in between his knees, sobbing and clutching at his head. He shivered, extremely terrified about this sudden burst of glass shards and leaping sparks.

Mattie stared at the destruction and then at Valentino. Her eyes went back and forth for a while before a plan started to form in her brain. She figured that Valentino didn't like sharp objects, as he shied away from the broken glass. After all, the scars looked to be from cutting himself, it would be no wonder that he would hate anything that could give him more. Right now, more than anything, she wanted Valentino away from her. She couldn't exactly run away thanks to her ankle, and Valentino might chase her if she tried to escape. Plus, she was too afraid of stepping on broken glass or falling into it. Therefore, a little plan hatched from her information.

Mattie could easily threaten him. She could get him away from her, or even just get rid of him completely so he would no longer be a problem for her. She had the materials right in front of her to do it. All she needed was the words to seal the deal and the bravery to go through with it. She sucked in a breath to calm herself and let it out slowly. Crawling carefully over to the glass, she found a new resolve within her. A new hope formed within her heart.

"I'm doing this for Lonnie," she mumbled to herself, low so Valentino couldn't hear it - not that he could hear anything over his sobs anyways. "I may not be able to protect you, but I'll protect myself for you," she continued. "I'll do everything for you now. I'll live through this for you. I'll make our dreams come true."

Mattie's hands closed around a particularly large and pointy shard. She held it gingerly, not wanting to get her grip too firm in fear of hurting herself with it. She looked back at Valentino, who was still crying into his knees. She sighed, but remembered she was doing this for Lonnie. He had been seriously damaged and she couldn't help but think Valentino was one of the reasons why. Moving her free hand to the ground, she scooted closer and closer to Valentino. She hoped he didn't notice her crawling over to him. If he did, she would no doubt be chased down and hurt even more.

For some reason, Mattie couldn't help but wonder if she was in her right mind or if Valentino's insanity was affecting her more than she thought it did.

Finally, she stopped in front of Valentino. Anger coursed through her veins and she suddenly wanted to jam the shard straight through his skin, but she wanted to torture him just a little bit. She positioned the shard carefully and began her plan.

"Stop crying," Mattie cooed in a sugar-sweet voice. "It's okay."

Valentino raised his head and slammed his back into the wall, going rigid from fear. Mattie frowned down at him, putting the shard at an angle where it was easiest to stab his neck in one swift motion.

"What?" Valentino whispered out of shock. "Why-"

"Stop talking or I'll jam this shard into your throat so hard all you can do is make garbled screams as your life drains away from you," Mattie growled.

Valentino was usually willing to take any chance for his life to slip away, but seeing it taken away by someone else made him feel a little sick. He shut his mouth, eyes focused directly on the glass. He could hardly breathe and felt like he was drowning.

"Now," Mattie began, "listen to me. I tried to cooperate with you. I told you I wanted to be alone and you just wouldn't leave. You went all insane on me for no reason. I have enough baggage and now you're trying to guilt-trip me even more or, dare I say, one-up me with your problems because apparently mine are so insignificant compared to yours. So give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you right now with the very thing you're most afraid of."

Valentino was pretty sure that shard would hurt less than the words that Mattie had just driven into his skull. They hit him hard, because somehow she had figured out one of his greatest fears - at least, among the tangible ones. He despised broken glass above anything else. He shuddered at the thought of having them injure him again. His breathing came out heavily and he felt panic bubble up inside of him. This was the worst time to panic, though. If he didn't say something, his life would be on the line.

And that would mean everyone finding out the truth.

"I...I..." Valentino restrained himself from wiping away the fear-induced tears streaming down his cheeks. "I...found a way out."

Mattie's expression changed to that of confusion, but she didn't say anything. However, supposedly unconsciously, her hand slightly lowered the shard.

"I found an escape route," Valentino continued. "I only just found it. I swear, if I had been any earlier, I would have told you and Lonnie straight away, but unfortunately, I was too late in discovering it. However, if we leave now, maybe we can get out before someone blocks it to avoid anyone escaping."

"Really?" Mattie looked so hopeful. "Why didn't you tell me in the first place? Let's go!"

"Alright, but first..." Valentino's gaze moved downwards to the glass shard still in her hand. "I do not trust you with that. Please put it down."

"Of course!" Mattie placed the glass shard on the ground right next to Valentino. She backed up and moved closer to Lonnie to give Valentino room to stand up. "Now let's go find that escape route! But uh...you might have to carry me because of my ankle and all." 

"Of course, of course," Valentino replied, not even realizing he had repeated Mattie's words. As he scooted forward, he grabbed the glass shard, thankful Mattie had placed it on his left side.

"This is such a breath of fresh air!" Mattie exclaimed. She laughed a little bit, excited and happy to have some hope. Her plan had worked! She would be leaving and completing her dream, even if it meant leaving Lonnie here.

"Yes, it really is," Valentino agreed.

In one swift motion, Valentino pinned Mattie to the ground, pushing on her shoulder so hard that it could've popped right out of its socket. Mattie stared up at him with a shocked expression, completely frozen in fear and surprise. Valentino raised the shard in his other hand, making sure it would hit its target despite how shaky his hand was.

"But I am afraid this will be your last breath," he concluded. He drove the shard into the side of Mattie's neck. She let out a strangled cry, blood filling her mouth. It poured out from her neck as Valentino dug into her skin with it, forcing it deeper and deeper. Tears flowed from Mattie's eyes, mixing with her blood. She tried to say something, but all that came out was strange gurgles and choking sounds. Her blood puddled on the ground, moving swiftly across the floor and even reaching Lonnie, who laid still right next to her.

Unable to push the shard any deeper, Valentino stood up and moved over to the broken chandelier. He grabbed more glass pieces and sat next to Mattie, putting his handful of glass on the ground for the moment. He grasped her arm with one hand and grabbed a shard with his other.

"You know," Valentino remarked, "I could make this an easy death for you. A simple bleeding out, though it may take a long time. However..." 

Valentino rammed the shard into Mattie's wrist, making her gargle blood in an attempt to scream. 

"...I like being dramatic," Valentino finished. He grabbed more broken glass and pushed them in along Mattie's arm. He put them in at different angles so they created a strange pattern. He smiled when it was done and studied Mattie's body. Her chest still rose and fell, though it was getting slower. Her panicked eyes darted around the room, their bright color dimming. Her legs were bent and quivering. Valentino tapped his chin.

"Still not dead?" he mused. "How stubborn." He stood up and turned back to the chandelier. He didn't want to take the time to completely line her body with glass. Besides, he'd probably run out of shards before it was done. He looked around, wanting to finish this off before she died on her own, because that would be too boring for him to bear. A lightbulb went off in his head when he noticed a part of the chandelier that held the once-intact lights was breaking off. He grabbed it and started pulling. However, it didn't want to come off completely. He pushed his foot onto the spot where it bent and put as much force into it as he pulled. With a sound like wind traveling through iron pipes, it broke off. Valentino stumbled back from the momentum and then turned to Mattie, holding the metal pipe menacingly.

"I hate to be so messy with you," Valentino chuckled as he raised the pipe, "but I've lost my touch."

With no effort at all, Valentino swung the pipe down onto Mattie's head. He bashed her skull in with one hit and it was all over. Her body went limp and her chest stopped rising. Her eyes lost their bright shine completely, staring unblinking at the ceiling. Blood still bubbled in her mouth and poured from her wounds, but Valentino knew it would stop eventually. He dropped the pipe carelessly onto the ground, knowing someone would find the blood on it anyway. He stared down at Mattie's corpse, feeling a need to muss her hair as if she were still alive - and as if he actually cared and wanted to treat her like someone close to him.

"I do feel slightly bad," Valentino soliloquized. "It had to be done, though. I could not let you stay here and grieve for the rest of your life and find out the truth while you were still living, or let you go out there and tell everyone about the real me. As for lying to you and betraying you, you would have killed me and found out the truth that way anyway - and so would everyone else. You would be painted as a murderer as well. You should be thankful I saved you from that. Yell at me all you want once you come back as a ghost. Oh, wait..." Valentino smirked to himself. "I bashed your head in for a reason. You will not remember anything about your death that way. I could not let you run around telling everyone who actually cares that I killed you, could I? I had to make sure you could not make me out so be as awful as that." He clasped his hands together and smiled brightly. "Be a good little kitten and keep our secret safe, okay?"

Valentino sighed once his finished his monologue. He wondered what was wrong with him. He wondered why he had to take these risks and why he kept breaking his promises. However, most of all, he wondered how he was going to make himself forget this one.

"Well, would you look at that?" a voice from the hallway chirped. "The little rebel is becoming one of us now."

Valentino gazed towards the hall where dark shadows stood. He groaned, "I don't want to become one of you."

"It seems you're already on the path to it," another voice belonging to the shadows remarked.

"I had no choice," Valentino choked out, suddenly feeling tears come to his eyes as the adrenaline drained away. "You have taken away all my sense of freedom and will. Every choice I make is from fear of you."

"So you finally admit you're afraid," a third voice from the shadows said. "You're actually coming to terms with your own weakness."

"I have not come to terms with anything," Valentino shot back. "I cannot accept any of this. I don't know why I'm here, why I can't be normal, why I keep hurting others outside of my will. I wish you would stop controlling me..."

"This was done of your own control," the first voice replied.

"No," Valentino argued. "This is not me. I was not in my right mind, you forced me to be this way, I-" A sob cut off Valentino's sentence. With tears spilling over his heavy eyelids, he continued, "I want to go home."

"And kill more people outside?" the second voice asked.

"No!" Valentino shouted. "I don't want to hurt anyone! You," Valentino pointed towards the first shadow, "should know that better than anyone here!"

"For someone who doesn't want to hurt anyone," the first shadow mused, "you sure do make it happen a lot. After all, you just killed someone."

"The only person I _want_ to kill is myself!" Valentino yelled. He collapsed onto the ground, his legs crumpled beneath him, and cried. He wailed, "I can finally be free if I stop existing! I can be away from all the abuse and pain once and for all! I can...I can..." Valentino covered his face with one hand. "Oh, what's the point of yelling? I can never get it back..."

"I don't know if he's been getting more or less emotional over these years," the third shadow commented.

"I don't really care," the first shadow responded. "All I want is for him to be on our side instead of doing...this."

"What day is it?" the second shadow blurted out.

"Twenty-sixth of January," Valentino answered in a depressive tone.

"Oh, Val, you and your internal clock," the third shadow chuckled.

"I have a counting room for a reason," Valentino mumbled. "Only so many more days to go. Where has the time gone?"

However, the shadows didn't hear him. They turned and left, taking the chill out of the air. The hallway went back to its normal color, light coming back to it. Valentino stared at where they had gone, then turned to the two corpses beside him.

"They're going to curse you," he murmured. "You'll never be able to be yourselves again. You're going to be stuck as you used to be, so enjoy being dead for the precious few minutes you have left." He looked back at the hallway and sighed.

"I should have enjoyed myself while I still had it," Valentino concluded. Without looking back at the lovers, he stood up and headed down the hallway from which he had came, hoping to find some sort of drug so he could find himself again.

*

Lonnie groaned as he opened his eyes. He felt shaky and had the sensation of pins and needles all over his body. He sat up and held his head, trying to get used to the light. He didn't know how long he had been out. Sighing, he looked down.

Right below him lay his own corpse. And his arm was completely see-through and - was it glowing?

Lonnie screamed, jumping away from the sight. He stood up and looked at himself. His body was a transparent white - not clear, but an ethereal white. He almost looked as if he were made of silk. He tried to clasp his hands together, but they went straight through each other. Baffled, he spun around, trying to get used to the feeling of being as light as air. He suddenly chuckled to himself.

_I did it_ , Lonnie thought. _I'm really dead. I wonder what kind of powers I'll get. Can I float now?_

Despite the dark undertones behind this whole situation, Lonnie laughed and spun around happily. However, he stopped when he saw a familiar figure sprawled across the ground. In shock, he stepped closer, stumbling over his own feet.

"M-Mattie?" he whispered. "What happened to you? This...this wasn't supposed to..."

Now Lonnie realized that he had done something wrong. He knew Mattie had been in the wrong too - after all, she had insulted him - but he had been too hasty. He was looking for an escape, and he found that in suicide. He didn't even think that it could hurt someone who meant so much to him.

"Mattie," Lonnie repeated, sitting down in front of her collapsed body. "I still care about you. I'm sorry, I was being selfish, I should have thought about what you wanted..." He wiped his tears away with the back of his hand. "Please, could you ever forgive me...?"

Out of the corner of his eye, Lonnie could see movement. He looked up from his lap and saw Mattie trying to open her eyes. She seemed to be in a lot of pain. However, she was able to sit up. Her body was see-through as well, and glowed just as his did. She looked around, confused.

"Mattie~" Lonnie spoke in a sing-songy voice. "I'm behind you."

Mattie turned around and gasped. She tried to tackle Lonnie to the ground, but only fell straight through him. He laughed at her efforts.

"What's going on?" Mattie inquired, sitting back up. "Why are you-" She suddenly noticed her glowing body and cried out. "What? How?!"

"We're dead," Lonnie explained bluntly. "I thought you knew that."

"Huh?" Mattie stared at Lonnie and shook her head. "No, I was just here, you were..." She stood up, as did Lonnie, and looked around. "I was right here with you, and I was alone, but..." She held her head with both hands. "I don't remember..."

"It's okay." Lonnie hovered his arm behind her, knowing he couldn't really touch her.

Mattie turned to look at him, glowing blue tears sprouting from her eyes. "I was so harsh to you," she sobbed. "I'm so sorry..."

"Hey, don't cry," Lonnie comforted her, wiping one away. "I still love you. I would kiss you right now if I could."

"Try it anyway," Mattie pleaded.

Lonnie nodded, trying to figure out the best way to do this. He tried grabbing her hands, but they only went through her. He frowned, then sighed. This wasn't going to work.

"Uhh, Lonnie?" Mattie had an urgency to her voice. "You're, like...glowing."

"What?" Lonnie looked down at his hands and gasped. His veins were showing somehow and they glowed a neon green. He stared at them, wondering what was going on. With a newfound courage, he cupped Mattie's face in his hands. They didn't go through and instead fit around her face perfectly. He pressed a simple kiss to her forehead. However, the impact caused a little shock to go from Lonnie's lips to Mattie's body. They jumped away from each other at the electricity, scared to possibly hurt the other. They stared at each other.

"This ghost stuff is weird," Mattie remarked.

"Yeah," Lonnie agreed. "But..." 

He shuffled closer to Mattie and held out a shaking hand to her. She looked down at it for a moment, then took it carefully.

"We can figure it out together," Lonnie finished. Mattie nodded and they took off down the hall, hand in hand. Even if they would never escape, they were going to find out all about the hotel.

And they would do it together.


	31. Imbalance

Edd, Tom, Matt, and Tord were completely silent as they traveled through the hallway. The reality of what they had seen was sinking in now. They already knew Lonnie was dead and now Mattie had to deal with the loss, but they realized something else.

That door was a one-way ticket to death.

What with all that information hanging in the air like a thick fog, it felt harder for them to breathe. Time blurred and it felt like they had been walking for hours. Everything looked the same. They were going nowhere. To them, it felt like there was no point to this and no hope of ever escaping.

Oh, if only Valentino was there to help them through this.

"Hey, Tord."

Tom's voice broke through the muddy cloud of tension and hopelessness.

"Yeah?" Tord's voice had lost all emotion. His face seemed drained, as if he hadn't slept in days. Well, he hadn't, but this was different.

"Do you still have that knife you took from Valentino?" Tom inquired.

"What, you gonna stab yourself now?" Even his joke was told dryly.

"Don't be like that, Tord," Edd warned.

"Jesus, I'm asking because I'm worried about the kid," Tom responded. "We haven't seen him in a while and the last thing he said to us was that we would see him sometime, but he wouldn't be himself. What is that supposed to mean? I'm just anxious and I want to make sure he doesn't have anything to...you know."

"He can probably find stuff to do that with all over this place," Matt murmured, but nobody heard him.

"Okay, okay, I'll check." Tord looked in his hoodie, then his pants pockets. When nothing turned up, he checked them again in fear. Suddenly nervous, he patted all over himself to make sure he hadn't misplaced it.

"Don't tell me it's fucking gone," Tom growled.

"This is not good," Tord remarked. "He must've taken it back from me when we hugged! I thought I felt something, but I figured it was just my imagination. Damn it!"

"He took it all that time ago?" Edd seemed to be in disbelief.

"Who knows what he could do to himself?!" Tord exclaimed.

"But he still has the bandages or whatever!" Matt argued. "He couldn't hurt himself at all!"

"He can rip them off, dumbass!" Tom yelled. "Not to mention he can cut other areas than just his fucking arms and hands!"

"Stop yelling, please!" Edd pleaded. At the sound of his shaky voice, everyone stopped and turned to him. He was huddled up by the wall, tears falling down his face.

"Edd, what's wrong?" Tord asked.

"Don't act like it isn't obvious," Edd responded. "I feel so lost and hopeless here. We just saw a person die, Valentino is probably out doing horrible things to himself, and who knows what's going on with his brothers? So many people here are trapped and tortured, and I bet the people behind this all are just laughing at our suffering. We don't even know who's behind this. We know nothing and with every bit of information we get, it's like we get pushed back to the beginning because it confuses us even more. I just want to go home!"

"Edd, please don't act like this." Tord walked over to Edd, holding his hands up in a "Calm down" motion. "This is what the hotel wants to do to us," he continued. "We can't lose hope."

"I have every right to act like this!" Edd shouted. "We may not know much about this place, but we know one thing: we're never fucking getting out of here! Having any hope of escaping is pointless. Trying to get out of here is pointless. We're gonna be trapped here for all of eternity, even if we kill ourselves! We'll be fighting to the very day we die, and it'll all be for nothing because we'll never even get out!"

"Edd, please-" Tord tried to reason with him, but Edd cut him off.

"You guys can go off and keep hoping that you get out, but it's not going to save us," Edd told them. "I'm going to do the only thing I can really do here anymore." With that, Edd ran off down a hall.

"Edd!" Tord screamed after him and ran down the hall, trying to get to him.

Matt started towards them, but Tom held him back with a strong grip. Matt looked down at him, concerned.

"It's no use going after him," Tom said. "It's close to the next round of deaths, anyway. Whoever's behind this whole thing is making us split up to make it easier to kill us. We should stay together."

"Isn't that just prolonging the inevitable?" Matt asked.

Tom was silent for a moment, then responded, "As long as it keeps us together."

Matt nodded stiffly. The two of them went down the other hall. They had no destination or goal in mind. They just wanted to get away from the negative atmosphere.

Unfortunately, this atmosphere covered the entire hotel like an ozone layer.

*

Edd slammed the door behind him with his back, breathing heavily. He collapsed to the ground, sobbing into his hands and hardly able to breathe. His chest heaved with the effort of trying to get oxygen into his lungs. He stayed like that for a while, then removed his hands. His vision was blurred with tears as he looked around the empty room. Nothing seemed to be there, save for a few strings tethered near the ceiling. They were strung horizontally, like they were clothes lines.

Shaking his head, Edd shifted his position so his legs were out in front of him and his arms were to his sides. He wiped away some of the tears and stared straight ahead. He had a sudden feeling of dread, like a ticking time bomb was in the room and he couldn't do anything about it. He smacked his lips, noticing how dry his mouth was. His tongue felt like a rock stuck to the bottom of his mouth. A sudden sharp pain went through his gut from his own hunger, akin to the feeling of a knife twisting in one's abdomen. He felt dizzy and disoriented. His heavy lids started to fall, begging him to have one wink of sleep, but the pain of hunger and dehydration didn't allow him.

That, and the cawing of what seemed to be a very angry crow. Edd looked up to see the black bird swooping down towards him. It landed on his foot, then waddled up along his leg.

"What do you want?" Edd asked, his voice raspy.

The crow cawed once more and turned its head to a corner of the room. Edd looked in its direction, but didn't see anything. He looked at the bird, confused. It cawed again and turned its whole body to the corner, spreading its wings. Edd flinched as it took off and flew over to one of the strings, cawing from the top of the room.

"I don't get what you're trying to tell me," Edd choked out. "I'll come over there if you really want me to, but I'm not up for walking right now."

The crow let out an indignant shriek. Edd sighed and pushed himself upwards. With a grunt of effort, he managed to stand up. He nearly fell from the dizziness. However, he maneuvered over to where the crow was, staring up at it.

"Okay, I'm here, what do you want me to do?" Edd questioned.

The crow merely stared at him, cocking its head. Edd groaned and turned to the wall, smacking his head against it. He leaned against it like that for a while, then looked up and knocked his fist against the wall as if he were knocking on a door. The crow made a frenzy of sounds, feathers flying. Edd looked up, wondering what was going on.

"Is there something on this wall?" Edd inquired. He moved his hands along it, searching for some different colored slat of wood or something sticking out from the wall. However, he found nothing of the sort. The crow kept calling to him.

"I don't know what you want me to do!" Edd stepped away from the wall and looked behind him at the crow. "There's nothing here. What's going on?"

The crow was silent for a bit. It just stared at Edd. However, it seemed to notice something behind Edd and went nuts again. Edd turned around, the crow swooping down onto his shoulder. Swiveling his head from side to side, Edd surveyed the area. The crow kept quiet.

"What are you trying to tell me?" Edd murmured. The crow took off and landed back on a string above him. It looked back at him, a silent observer of the events to transpire. Completely entranced by the bird, Edd didn't notice the creature creeping up behind him until it was too late.

A hand grabbed Edd's neck forcefully. Edd let out a strangled gasp, trying to wrench himself away from the person's grasp. However, Edd couldn't escape. Another hand, armed with a knife, came up to Edd's neck. Edd stared at the sharp object, trembling with fear. It sliced across his neck. Edd watched as his blood poured out of him, his life ebbing away. The hand that had trapped him let go of him as his consciousness faded away. He fell to the ground, and it was all over.

*

"Edd!" Tord screamed. "Don't run off like that, you'll get yourself killed! We need to stick together!"

Tord slid along the ground, skidding to a stop upon noticing some doors around him. They were all lined up along the hall, all the same. Tord couldn't tell which one Edd had gone through, or if he had even gone down this hall at all. He looked around, wishing he had Matt's mirror to figure out where Edd was. He decided to play Eeeny-Meeny-Minie-Mo with the doors and ended up going into the one farthest from him. Lo and behold, the room was completely empty.

"Well," Tord sighed, "might as well read some more about ghosts." He moved to the very back of the room, noticing strange slats in between the floorboards. He shrugged it off and sat down with his back against the wall, pulling the book out of his hoodie and opening it to where he left off.

As he sat there, the several days of never eating and sleeping caught up to him in a rush of exhaustion. He held his head from the sudden dizziness. His vision started blurring, so much so that he could hardly even read the book anymore. He decided to give up and close it, putting it back in his hoodie. He felt like laying down and falling asleep, but hunger pangs rendered him pretty much immobile. He tried sitting still to make it all go away, but it was useless.

Suddenly, a burst of steam flew out from one of the slats in the floorboards, hissing violently. It ended nearly as soon as it happened. Despite this, panic bubbled up in Tord's chest. He wondered if it was the exhaustion making him hallucinate until it happened again, with a different slat. He let out a screech this time, not expecting it to happen again. He blamed his fearfulness on his starvation. Eventually, he retreated his limbs into himself, feeling on edge.

A few moments later, Tord tugged on his collar, trying to fan himself. It was getting hotter and hotter in the room, even though the steam hadn't come up again. He resorted to pulling out the book to try and get cool air onto him, but all he was doing was pushing hot air right against him.

"Geez, this place is unoriginal," Tord panted. "How many deaths dealing with fire or heat have we had now? Three?"

A large cloud of steam puffed out right in front of him. Tord screamed, making himself smaller as the steam dissipated and the hissing stopped. His eyes narrowed.

"Fuck you too," he grumbled.

Despite his eyelids being slabs of concrete and his legs jello, Tord tried to stand up. With a shaky sense of balance, he made his way over to the door of the room. Every step seemed to take away hours off his life. The room was only getting hotter.

When he finally made it to the door, his hands were so clammy they kept slipping off the doorknob. He wiped them on his jeans, trying again to open the door. However, all attempts proved fruitless. There was no getting out of this oh-so-uncomfortable situation.

"Well, guess it's time to sleep with death again," Tord remarked. He strode over to the back of the room again, practically collapsing against the wall. He didn't even bother to try fanning himself, as the room would just continue to turn up the heat anyway. It seemed like the entire room was filled with a fog thanks to the humidity.

"You're not making this easy for me," Tord panted. "You always make the deaths so painful or uncomfortable. Maybe that's how death is, but can't I have something a bit more...I don't know, tasteful? Something that maybe someone would actually like to die through?"

Nobody answered him. The room seemed to sway from the heat waves.

"Guess not," Tord continued. "But at least this room reflects me, right? Get it? Cuz I'm hot?"

Tord let out little bouts of laughter, but they trailed off when he remembered nobody was listening. He let out shaky breaths, hardly able to tell if he was even still alive. His vision was blackening quickly. The heat pressured him, burning up all the oxygen. Thanks to this heat, he needed to get more air into his body, but he was finding it very difficult to breathe. He tried to will himself to do something so he could find a way out, but everything about him seemed to have melted away with his ability to survive. Panic ran through his veins.

The last thing he thought was, _I can't breathe._

*

"Do you think Valentino's okay?" Matt inquired.

"I think you have dementia, because you've asked me that three times now," Tom replied.

"I'm just worried," Matt responded, looking upset.

"I know you're worried, but it's best not to think about it," Tom told him. "Right now, we need to focus on the secrets of the hotel and getting out of here. We can't spend all our time worrying about what might happen and losing hope."

"I guess you're right," Matt sighed. He was silent for a few moments, then complained, "I'm tired."

"Me too, kid," Tom replied.

"I'm older than you," Matt argued.

Tom chuckled. "Valentino said the same thing to me a few days ago," he explained. "Speaking of which, what day is it now?"

Matt shrugged. "I don't really care, honestly. We're gonna be trapped here forever anyway."

"Don't say that," Tom scolded. "We're gonna get out of here, no matter what it takes. We can't lose hope now."

A hiss of steam startled the both of them, causing them to jump and look around. However, nothing seemed to be around. They looked at each other, knowing they both heard it. After a moment of calming down, they continued walking down the hall. Soon, there was another hiss, once again scaring them.

"Tom, what's going on?" Matt whispered, scared he might alert someone.

"I don't know," Tom responded.

They stood like that for a few more moments. The entire hall was silent. Nothing was around. All they could hear was their breathing and the sound of their blood pounding in their ears.

And then there was a crash.

Matt immediately took off down the hall, screaming for his life. Tom yelled after him, running as fast as he could to catch up with him. They kept running and running, never finding an escape. Tom stopped at an intersection, having lost Matt. He looked around, catching his breath and wondering where the ginger ran off to. He heard the sound of splintering wood and took off in its direction, finding a gaping chasm in the middle of the floor, preventing him from going further. Matt stood on the other side, visibly shaken. He looked at Tom, tears pouring from his eyes.

"Tom," he sobbed, "I'm scared..."

"Don't worry, Matt," Tom assured him. "I'm going to find some other way over there. You just stay there."

Matt shook his head. "No, Tom..." He moved his hand upward, pointing past Tom's shoulder. "Behind you."

Tom froze. He slowly turned his head, only catching a glimpse of some creature there before he was pushed into the chasm. Matt screamed his name as he fell down into some sort of concealed room at the bottom. He only heard a few cries from Matt and then rapid footsteps in the other direction. Then, all was silent.

Tom tried to calm down, still scared and out of breath from what had happened. He pushed his arms against the walls of his confines, noticing the room around him was very small. If he was claustrophobic, he'd probably be having a panic attack right now. He looked up to notice the creature staring at him from above. The drop didn't seem to be too big, only a few feet taller than Tom was. However, there was no chance of climbing out. Him and the creature stared at each other for a few more moments.

"Well?" Tom sounded impatient. "Whatcha got for me?"

The creature's head disappeared. Something fell from above and directly into Tom's face. He wiped it off, spitting to avoid it getting in his mouth. He looked at it closely, hardly able to see in the dark. It seemed to be dirt or gravel. Another pile fell onto him, getting all into his hair. He shook his head, hoping to get most of it off. It continued like that for a few more moments, making a pile of dirt around him, then stopped. Tom wondered what was going on. 

He heard the sound of something being scraped against wood. Tom caught a glimpse of something appearing at the edge of the chasm, then a huge mound of soil was poured into the hole. Tom coughed, dust getting all over him. He looked at the steadily growing pile, watching as bags and shovels were used to pour more and more into the room. A plan hatched in Tom's head and he smirked to himself. While the creature was busy grabbing another wagon of dirt, Tom climbed onto the huge mound and looked up. If he jumped correctly, he could climb right out. However, when the creature turned back, it noticed Tom immediately.

"Hey, idiot," Tom taunted. "You know, if you're attempting murder, it would be wise to actually hit your target." With that, Tom jumped over to the edge where the creature waited. It immediately stepped on his fingers. Tom let out a screech of pain, but held on tightly. When the creature left for a moment, Tom urged all of his upper body strength into motion and tried his damnedest to climb up. However, as soon as he had gotten his arms and head over the edge, the creature appeared right in front of him with a shovel in its arms. It smacked Tom over the head with it, making him drop like a rock to the bottom again. He lost consciousness from the impact.

When Tom awoke again, the first thing he noticed was that his legs were completely numb. He looked around and noticed they were completely covered with dirt. He tried to move them, but the soil was so tightly packed that he couldn't possibly get them out. He scanned the area, noticing it was all around him. He clawed at the side of a mound next to him, trying to get out, but it completely collapsed. The dirt trapped most of his arm under it, rendering it useless. He couldn't even sit up with it covered like that.

Now, dirt kept pouring and pouring into the room. The volume of it steadily increased, covering Tom's stomach and other arm over time. Eventually, it started hitting his face. Tom spat and shook his head all he could, but it couldn't stop the flow of soil. All he could do was lay there and take all the amounts of it. Anxiety and panic ran through him as it slowly piled up around him, then began covering his face. He kept his mouth tightly shut to avoid it getting in his mouth. It piled up over his eyes and mouth first, still allowing him to breathe. As the darkness and silence enveloped him, all he felt was dirt piling up on the rest of his face. His chest and neck were compressed by the soil, already making it hard to breathe. Once the dirt covered his nose, he started to completely suffocate.

Eventually the sweet lullaby of the muffled sounds of soil hitting him over and over again made him lose consciousness.

And he never woke again.

*

"Tom!" Matt yelled as his friend fell into the dark chasm. He backed away from it, hoping he wouldn't get pushed in as well. He stared across the gap at the creature. It wasn't like anything he had seen before.

The creature bore some resemblance to a centaur, though where the horse part should be was instead akin to a spider's body. It was colored completely peach, then darkened to a gray where the spider body was. Its single pair of eyes had two green irises, conjoined right at the pupil. Matt stood there for a few more seconds, frozen. However, the creature soon did something that made bile and panic bubble up Matt's throat.

It opened all of its eyes. There were so many eyes. All lined up across its face, taking up the spots where a nose and mouth should be. They opened up where the human met the spider, bloodied and looking sewn on. There were even some eyes at the front of the spider body. They all stared at Matt, watching him. Judging him.

With a strangled cry, Matt turned and ran as fast as he could away from the creature. He couldn't save Tom and he didn't want that thing anywhere near him. He just kept running, not caring where he was going. Not caring who he would see, what he would find. Eventually he had to stop to catch his breath. He doubled over and coughed, trying to get air into his lungs with deep breaths. Unfortunately, all the running and crying didn't make this very easy.

"It's all my fault," Matt sobbed. "If I hadn't run away, I wouldn't have broken the only plank of wood that made a path across the hole and Tom would still be okay. He wouldn't be in a death trap if it weren't for me!"

Matt collapsed to the ground, sobbing into his hands. He kept mumbling more and more wretched things about himself, feeling awful. He just wanted his friends to be happy. He didn't want everything to be going wrong like this. Matt didn't even know why he suddenly felt so guilty. He was usually so joyful, so vain...but he seemed to fall the hardest whenever something happened to burst his self-esteem.

As Matt continued crying, he suddenly heard someone talking. He thought it was just his rapid heartbeat until he removed his hands from his face. He looked up to see two ghosts staring down at him. He screamed, falling backwards. He scrambled up from that position, staring at the figures before him. They looked shocked, and they seemed familiar to Matt, but in his panic, all he could think was that they were out to kill him. He ran off down the hall again, not paying attention to them calling after him.

If only he had stopped and paid attention.

Matt wiped some tears from his eyes and kept running. He didn't notice the shimmering of piano wire straight in front of him. In just a matter of seconds, his body collapsed to the ground, blood spilling across the floor. His head, completely detached from his body, bounced around before finally rolling to a stop. It was frozen in a face of terror, tears still staining his freckled cheeks.

He didn't even know what had hit him.

*

Valentino wasn't a violent person. Ever since several incidents in his life tying to his own dynamite-like anger, he vowed to never hurt anyone or anything ever again. However, today was a day of broken promises. And since he had just murdered someone, he decided, "Why the fuck not?"

And now he sat in a room full of destruction, rocking back and forth with his anxiety through the roof.

"What am I gonna do?" Valentino chanted. "What am I going to do? What have I done? What's going to happen to me now? Who's gonna come in here and send me off to a rancid castle where my punishment is starving to death?"

He knew these situations he was making up were ridiculous, but his brain wasn't so fond of reality right now.

Valentino's eyes scanned the room, assessing all the destroyed furniture. Lamps were shattered to bits. Tables were toppled over. Windows were smashed through, glass scattered around. Pictures had been knocked down from every nail and other decorations had been trashed. Pillows were thrown around and ripped open, stuffing and feathers covering the floor. Curtains and blankets were strewn across the floor and ripped in several places. If one had enough imagination, it could look like a fort. Valentino almost thought of it in that childlike way so the room could seem more innocent and maybe not tie back to a murder scene.

After the incident, Valentino had gone off to try and find some form of alcohol so he could forget everything, if only for a few hours. However, along the way, everything started changing. One moment he was on solid ground, the next it had completely disappeared beneath his feet, though he was still able to walk on thin air. The walls turned into the mirrors from funhouses, distorting the view of the world. He looked around, seeing himself as a disgusting monster in each and every one of them. They all showed him what he thought of himself, and that terrified him. Therefore, he ran as far as he could, running into the first room he saw and not caring about finding anything anymore.

Eventually, Valentino looked around at the room. It seemed normal, but he noticed the curtains waving in the wind. He remembered something that seemed to not belong to him. He was back in that blue room, with the curtains billowing in the soft breeze and the whispers lulling him into a trance-like state. He could finally make out what some of them said.

_"Don't worry, Val."_

_"Just relax for me."_

_"It won't hurt, I promise."_

When his legs started feeling numb, he snapped out of it. The curtains threatened to banish him to that blue world again. He didn't want to go back there.

That was when he decided to trash the room altogether, so he didn't have to listen to all the taunting and he didn't have to go back to that blue room that made him so uncomfortable.

Valentino sighed. He felt so alone in this world. Nobody seemed to understand anything he felt or why he was the way he was. All they told him was pity lies and insults for being everything wrong. He was led to believe they were all true, making his mind fall apart over time.

And now he had been reduced to this. A blubbering mess of a man who wanted nothing more than to disappear so the world wouldn't burn beneath him.

_"It's time to change, Valentino."_

Even though the voice was soft and understanding, Valentino felt terrified by it.

_"Everything will be better for you if you just stay with me."_

That voice sounded like the same one from the blue world. Valentino hated everything about that world. So in spite of that voice that continued to taunt him, he stood up on shaky legs and took a deep breath. He walked out of the room confidently, as if there were no tears streaming down his face. He entered the hallway, shutting the door behind him to block out any trace of that horrid room. The hotel was back to normal now, with nothing reminding him of what a monster he was.

Valentino took a few steps forward.

And then collapsed into a heap on the ground and started sobbing again.

He couldn't do it. He couldn't live with himself after committing such a horrible act. Everything was going topsy-turvy for him. His eyes were closed, but he wasn't blind to the truth. Right now, he wished he was completely oblivious to everything. He wished he could forget, forget, forget.

But he never forgot anything.

Or, at least he thought he did.

Valentino continued sobbing, trying to take in deep breaths but failing. He hiccuped, unable to control himself anymore. Shaking, he curled himself into a ball, trying his hardest not to be noticed by anyone. He didn't want people to know what he had done. He didn't want people to know he even existed.

"Hey, little shame boy," a voice greeted.

Valentino just barely removed his hands so he could see Krittle sitting down next to him. She looked emotionless, or maybe even bored - as per usual - but something akin to concern gleamed in her eyes. Well, her human eye, at least. Valentino wiped his tears away so his vision wasn't so blurry and tried to greet her back, but all that came out was a choked sob. He slapped his hands over his mouth, mortified by how horrible he was acting.

"You don't have to tell me about what happened," Krittle suddenly said. "I already know. I see everything through Quincy, after all."

In a movement so quick that Krittle didn't even know what had happened, Valentino grabbed her collar and shook her, yelling, "Please don't tell anyone! I already can't live with myself and if anyone else knows they'll exile me from their lives and I'll be all alone with my stupid thoughts and dead people again!" He stopped shaking her and slowly slid down to the ground, still trying to hold onto her but eventually giving up. He kept mumbling incomprehensible things in between hiccups.

"I wasn't planning on telling anyone," Krittle assured him. "To be frank with you, I'm on your side."

Valentino lifted his head slightly to look at her. "Really?" he sobbed.

Krittle nodded. "I mean, you didn't even do anything wrong."

"But I killed her," Valentino argued.

Krittle shook her head. "Not based on what I saw."

Valentino pushed himself off the ground so he could sit up and stare directly into Krittle's eyes. He searched them, looking for some amount of a joking nature. However, she didn't show anything. He tilted his head, silently begging her to explain.

"Your eyes weren't yours," Krittle elaborated. "I'm pretty sure you were possessed."

"What?!" Valentino cried, shocked. "That cannot be! I did not feel anything!"

"It's true," Krittle retorted. "Your eyes were this weird green color, like neon or radioactive. They were like that for a while, too. Even before you attacked her."

"Really?" Valentino was still a bit surprised. "Is that why I got so angry for no reason?"

Krittle shrugged. "Quincy appeared a little bit after it had already started, so I don't know how long you were possessed. But that definitely wasn't you."

Valentino bit his lip, unsure of what to think. "Are my eyes back to normal now?" he asked.

"If by normal you mean red and puffy from crying for hours, yes," Krittle deadpanned.

Valentino pouted, making Krittle groan.

"Alright, alright, they're fine. Just as brown as always." Suddenly, her eyebrow rose. "Hey, what happened to your bandages?"

Valentino looked down at his hands. "Oh, yeah. I ripped them off a while back, about the time Lonnie killed himself. I did not want Mattie asking questions about them. Though, I suppose that was a bad idea, since whatever possessed me made me show my scars to her anyway." He gripped both of his shoulders as if to protect his arms from being seen.

Krittle nodded. "Have you seen anyone around here with that green aura?" Suddenly, she smacked a palm to her face. "Wait, you're colorblind. Of course you couldn't see green."

"Only sometimes," Valentino responded.

Krittle blinked. "Huh?"

Valentino merely repeated what he had said before.

"No, no, what do you mean you're only colorblind sometimes? Colorblindness is permanent."

"Well, you can see into my memories, correct?" Valentino inquired.

"All ghosts can, but yes," Krittle corrected.

"Alright." Valentino leaned back. "If you want to know so badly, just take a look in there."

Krittle's eyelids slowly went downward until she was scowling. "I'm not wasting all that effort on a stupid question."

Valentino shrugged. "The less you know, the better."

"Anyways..." Krittle brought both of her hands together, then slowly released them. A substance similar to a flame appeared between her hands, the color of radioactive green. "This was the aura color."

Valentino's eyes widened. He let out a gasp of awe.

"What, have you actually seen someone with this aura?" Krittle asked.

Valentino shook his head. "Unfortunately, no."

Krittle groaned. "What are we supposed to do, then?"

Valentino thought for a moment. "Make it into an object that can be carried around. That way, if we ever find someone with a similar aura, we can check and make sure it is them."

"We?" Krittle repeated.

"Ghosts show their aura color all the time," Valentino explained. "It is better if we work together."

"Ghosts have human forms, dumbass," Krittle argued. "Plus, they can get cursed too."

Valentino narrowed his eyes. Krittle stared at him, then realized what he was trying to do.

"I'm not going into your memories for this one, either," Krittle said.

"Aww." Valentino sounded genuinely upset. "Humor me at least once?"

Krittle shook her head. She quickly made her little illusion into a sphere shape, as if it were a marble. She tossed it at Valentino, who caught it in both his hands and put it safely in his sweater pocket.

"I'm done talking," Krittle said bluntly, standing up. She looked at Valentino for a moment, then began walking away.

"Wait wait wait!" Valentino called.

Krittle turned to look at him. He seemed to have retreated into himself, looking small and pitiful. His eyes were wide, trying to give off an innocent look.

"Can I come with you?" he inquired in a tiny, pleading voice.

"No," Krittle told him. She continued walking, but stopped when she heard a sob. She glanced behind her to see Valentino looking even more pitiful, tears coming to his eyes.

"Alright, alright, fine, you can come!" Krittle shouted. "Just don't be annoying."

"Yay!" Valentino ran over to her, wiping tears from his eyes.

"Were you actually crying?" Krittle sounded surprised.

"A little bit," Valentino confessed. He sniffed, then went silent. Krittle stared out at the path in front of her. Valentino stared at her, crossing his arms. He then looked away, staring at the wall as he walked by it. Thoughts of what he had done and what he could do knocked against the walls of his mind. He kept thinking of everything all at once, pushing so many emotions into his heart and clouding up his brain. Every single crease, every little nerve was full of all the negativity he could ever hold. It pumped out into the rest of his body, numbing him. He wasn't in reality anymore. His feet were still moving, he was still staring at the wall, but he didn't feel it at all.

The walls were mirrors again. All he could see was himself. He was a shell full of the truth, but only told lies. He was scarred, bloodied, and bruised, on the inside and outside. He was a beast, a monster with a mind that lived in a world of misunderstanding and a body that had been taught that pain was the best way out. He had no way to explain everything he'd done and everything that had been done to him. It was all too much to ever talk about. It pained him all the time. Even worse, people talked about all the things as if they didn't affect him. As if he wasn't there, listening to everything and reliving the nightmares all over again.

And suddenly, everything was numbers. All ones and zeros and that horrible technological pattern that hurt his eyes. He couldn't tell what was what anymore. He reached out, only touching air and not finding any end to this place. There was nothing anymore.

Until the feeling of a knife cutting through his skin brought him back to where he was. He let out a scream of pain, holding his arm to try and help it.

"What was that?!" he cried out.

"I pinched you," Krittle responded simply. "You were out of it, so I brought you back."

"But that hurt!" Valentino exclaimed.

"But it brought you back to reality," Krittle said.

"But...But..." Valentino looked down, tears streaming down his face. "That really hurt..."

Krittle sighed. "Look, do you want to talk about what's bothering you? It might keep you from disassociating or whatever you call it."

Valentino rubbed his arm. "I just feel so horrible about the murder," he said.

"It's not your fault," Krittle replied. "You can't blame yourself for being possessed. And you can't blame yourself for accidents. It just happens."

Valentino wiped his eyes. "I interfered with some of the scheduled challenges," he suddenly confessed.

"Really?" Krittle raised an eyebrow.

"I was just trying to show them the way out, so they would not have to suffer," Valentino continued. "I wanted to help them, but I made everything so much worse."

"Well, you can't stop the deaths from happening," Krittle responded. "And I've never seen you during them. How did you try and do anything?"

Valentino stared at her out of his peripheral vision. "Do not question my reasons," he replied. "If you want answers, use your magical powers."

"Why can't you just tell me?" Krittle retorted.

"I like seeing you confused and frustrated." Valentino smirked.

"Oh, shut up, kid," Krittle groaned.

"I am older than you," Valentino responded.

"Only by like two years," Krittle said.

Valentino burst into laughter. Krittle stared at him, confused. All he answered with was, "You really do not know anything."

Krittle scoffed, then looked down at the hallways around them. She stated, "Edd and Tord are close. But the other two are farther away, down that hall somewhere."

Valentino shrugged and went down the hall that Edd and Tord were in. Krittle followed after him, stopping at a door. She looked at him, silently asking if he wanted to go inside. He shook his head, standing against the wall so he wouldn't have to look inside the room. He covered his face with one hand, suddenly feeling guilty. Krittle opened the door and gasped.

"What the hell is this bloody mess?!" she shouted.

"Slit throat," Valentino answered.

"Huh?" Krittle looked over at him. "How do you know?"

Valentino stared at her almost angrily. "Why does it matter to you so much?"

Krittle flinched. "Geez, alright." She shut the door and moved on to the next one, finding Tord's body in this one.

"Suffocation due to heat!" Valentino explained.

Krittle slammed the door shut and stomped back over to Valentino. She glanced up at him, giving him a cold glare. He stared back at her, expressionless. Finally, they moved on to the next hallway. They came across the chasm, blocking their path.

"Strange," Krittle said. "I feel Tom's aura around here, but I don't see where he is. Is he down there somehow?" She looked over to Valentino for answers. Valentino, however, wasn't listening. He was merely staring at the hall just before the chasm, which would be their only option.

"We can go there if you want instead of looking for Tom," Krittle offered.

"That is not a way around to the other side," Valentino replied. "It is blocked off."

Krittle stared at him in shocked anger. "How do you know that?" She was getting frustrated now, what with the lack of answers and all this confusion.

"Stop asking questions!" Valentino shouted at her. "I am trying to concentrate." He backed up, away from the chasm. All the while, his teeth were bared, so close together that they looked close to breaking. She followed him, wondering what he was doing and why he was so angry at her when she just wanted to know what was going on. He suddenly stopped and Krittle realized what he was doing.

"Don't tell me you're going to try and jump that," she said. "That's certain death for you."

Valentino didn't answer. He merely stood there, staring out in front of him with a scowl on his face. Krittle stared up at him, hoping he wasn't going to run into his own demise. He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath, slowly exhaling it. The hall suddenly grew darker, as if the lights had dimmed themselves. Krittle looked around, worried, then glanced back up at Valentino. He opened his eyes.

They had gone completely red-violet. There was no pupil, iris, or even sclera to be seen anymore. They were empty, only that red-violet color. They glowed, the only source of light now. Krittle stared at him in alarm.

"Are you possessed again?!" she screeched. "Please tell me you're alright!"

The hotel suddenly lurched, making a large creaking sound. It was as if they were on a boat that was about to sink. Krittle let out a cry, latching onto Valentino's arm for comfort. She didn't know what was going on anymore. She looked up at Valentino, then at the chasm, feeling helpless and alone.

"Come on, Val, do something!" Krittle shook Valentino's arm. "What am I supposed to do all alone?"

Suddenly, Valentino scowled and his fists clenched. A powerful gust of wind came from behind them, making Krittle's dress and Valentino's sweater flutter about. The wind continued over the chasm, making a bridge of ice appear over it. Valentino took off, Krittle still attached to his arm. He ran over the bridge and onto the other side at top speed, continuing on at that speed. Krittle stared behind them, seeing the glow of Valentino's eyes reflect across the ice and stretch out across the air, as if they were moving faster than light itself. Finally, Valentino stopped. Krittle lurched forward, falling onto the ground. The hotel lights went back to normal, as did Valentino. He let out a huge sigh, looking close to collapsing.

"How did you...?" Krittle didn't even finish her sentence, as she knew Valentino wouldn't answer it. She also had no idea how to finish it, as she didn't even know what had just happened. She merely stood back up, noticing Matt's body right in front of them. She flinched when a flame suddenly appeared a string-like object above his body, splitting the string in two.

"Piano wire," Valentino explained.

Krittle stared at Matt's body for a few more moments, wanting to cry out after seeing his head completely detached from it. However, she sucked it up and stared at Valentino with wide eyes.

"Valentino," she began, "what the hell are you?"

"I am who I am," Valentino replied simply. He stretched his arm out and placed his other arm on it, looking over at her. He smirked as he closed his outstretched hand, then opened it again to make a rose appear. He then finished, "And I am not human." He closed his hand again, making rose petals drop to the ground, then walked away, leaving Krittle to stare off at him in awe. She blinked a few times, not knowing what to think.

"Of course you're not human, you're a fucking weirdo!" Krittle finally shouted after him. "Come back here and explain what kind of extraterrestrial being you are!"

***

The room was quiet. Yet it was full of life. All squirming around, invisible to the human eye. Everything was moving, everything was as it should be. A single imperfection sat in the room with it all, but the room didn't mind it. It kept on living, kept on moving and breathing. And while the imperfection didn't like being ignored, it liked the silence, and it liked being able to rest. After all, its mind and body were weak. It didn't want to push against the thing that still tolerated it.

That was how Valentino felt right about now. A single weak imperfection full of smaller imperfections, in a room full of silence, complexity, and perfection that even among him could not be tainted. It seemed like chaos, but really, it was life moving along as usual. It was peace, all singing together in harmony. A metronome for Valentino's heartbeat, a flute for his breathing, the chimes of a triangle for all the little lifeforms scuttling about, the keys of a piano for the molecules as they danced around, and finally the harp for life itself. It was harmony, it was peace, it was unity.

Until the violin kicked in.

Anxiety. Pushing it all out of order, making it all imbalanced. It was giving the warning sign for danger, even though nothing was wrong. Life knew what was going on. This wasn't normal. Life ignored it. It knew everything was okay, and it played as normal, still hearing unity and balance in everything.

But nobody was there to tell him it was okay. Nobody was there to comfort him. And so even if life continued on, it felt like the world was falling apart around him.

His metronome was off-beat, getting faster and faster. His flute whistled, trying to draw in deep breaths but failing. The violin kept going to higher and higher notes, never stopping and never going down to make a normal tune. And even though the triangle and piano were continuing on like usual, and the harp sounded as balanced as ever, nothing was in perfect working order for Valentino. Lightning struck his brain and sent too many signals to everything in his body at once. They didn't know what to do. Everything was imbalanced for them, even if the outside was at peace.

All he could think to do was leave the room. The floor changed into quicksand, devouring him beneath his feet. He trudged through it, trying to find the door throughout all the confusion. He laid his hand on the doorknob, making it all turn back to normal. He left the room, closed the door, and found himself in a world of music sheets. The notes were chaos, scattered about the staffs in impossible ways. Some were tossed about the floor or just hanging in midair, having no business being around like that. Nevertheless, he kept on going, wanting to find some peace somewhere.

As Valentino was walking, he couldn't stop thinking. He felt like everyone was out for him, like they all knew what he'd done. He couldn't stop remembering every mistake of his from the past, everything he'd done wrong and how he could've done something right for once. How badly everyone treated him. How he decided to deal with it. How much of a monster he was. How horrible, how awful, how misguided, and how he felt like if he had just been born normal - without the mental illnesses and all the pain - maybe he could've been okay. Maybe he would've done so much right.

He just wanted to disappear. Like he never existed and his actions never hurt anyone. Then people would be living happily. If he hadn't been born, nothing would be wrong. His parents would be alive. His brothers would be happy. His friends wouldn't be stuck in the mess they were in. And Annabeth...

He didn't even know where she was. What she was doing. If she was okay.

Maybe she was dead. All because of him.

And that just started a whole new train wreck.

The world turned to fire. All the music burned away, leaving only charred remains and sparks flying around Valentino. When it all disappeared and the hotel was normal, Valentino noticed he was in a room all alone. His face was numb, and he only noticed he was crying when he reached up a hand to touch it. He felt like he had to force himself to do any action. He noticed something strange at the back of the room. With uneven steps, he moved over to it. Crouching down, he inspected his own reflection in the basin of water.

He didn't see the monster that he was from before. He saw his tears, falling down into the water to make ripples across it. He saw his eyes, red and puffy but still that same cinnamon color he always adored. He saw his hair, bunched up but still messy and unkept. He saw that he was broken. He saw that he was imperfect. And he saw that he might just be okay.

Slowly, Valentino moved a hand up to his hair. He wanted to undo it. He wanted it to be free, so he could free from his own grasp as well. So he could be free from everything that stood in his way and kept him from being the person he wanted to be. Despite the illnesses. Despite the problems. Despite his actions, his past, and everything that turned him into this mess. He wanted to undo everything. Forget about it. Make a new him.

But he saw the reflection of that monster again, coming up behind him. He didn't do anything as it grabbed his neck. He didn't struggle, didn't try to avoid being trapped by his own insecurities and fears again. He didn't make a sound. He let it push his face into the water, forcing him to have to hold in his breath. He didn't thrash around. He didn't want to give it the satisfaction of knowing that he didn't want this. He let it all happen. He breathed outward, forcing water into his mouth. He watched as his vision grew blacker, his consciousness slipping away.

Once he was nearly gone, for some reason, Valentino felt like the monster wasn't only parts of him.


	32. Making Amends

Matt's vision was blurry when he first opened his eyes. He blinked a few times, making his vision slowly focus. He was back in the main room, as was usual whenever the deaths came around. Unlike most of the times, he didn't feel any dizziness or pain from the death. His neck was a little sore, like it had a crick in it, but that was all. He wondered if he was just given enough time to rest.

If so...why now?

He looked around at the room. Edd, Tom, and Tord were still asleep, looking rather peaceful. He also noticed that Lonnie's body was completely absent, as was Mattie. It looked like nothing had ever happened there. He wondered what happened to them. Aside from that, the forcefield was also missing. He figured that since they knew what the door did to them, then the forcefield was no longer necessary. Finally, he realized that Valentino wasn't here. Were they just left to their own devices now?

Matt's eyes drifted over to the main desk. Several bottles and jars were arranged on top of it. They were all tinted or opaque, making it impossible for Matt to judge which were empty or not. Eventually, a hand reached over from the other side of the desk and grabbed a bottle, dragging it down to their side with no sense of balance or control. Matt frowned, wondering if he saw that right. He slowly got up, then walked over to the desk to see what was there.

To somewhat of a surprise, Valentino was sitting on the other side, staring at the bottle as if it held the answers to life. Matt gasped in shock, but Valentino didn't even react.

"Valentino!" Matt yelled.

"You do not need to shout," Valentino replied, his voice devoid of any emotion. "I am right here."

"What are you doing?" Matt asked, quieter this time.

"Drowning away my sorrows with alcohol," Valentino answered. He took a long sip of his current bottle, smacking his lips afterwards and sighing.

Matt stared at that bottle, then looked over at all the other ones. He looked back at Valentino and inquired, slightly afraid of the answer, "How many have you had?"

Valentino hiccuped and slurred, "Dunno." He pointed at the group of bottles nearest to him. "But I've still got those to-" He hiccuped again. "...finish," he concluded.

"How are you still alive right now?!" Matt exclaimed, gripping the counter and stamping his feet in alarm.

"I wish I wasn't," Valentino responded bluntly. "No matter how much I want to die, my body simply won't let me."

Matt let out a frustrated groan. "Stop saying things like that, please!" he shouted.

"Easier said than done." Valentino shrugged and tried to take another swig of his drink. Matt immediately snatched it out of his hand. Valentino stared at his empty hands, blinked a few times, and then widened his eyes. It seemed he only now realized his bottle was gone.

"You're having delayed reactions!" Matt cried. "This isn't good! I'm coming over there and I am lecturing you so hard!" Matt ran over to an empty space where he could climb over the desk to get to Valentino. He put the bottle he had with some of the others, far away from Valentino, then climbed over and ran to the brunet. He sat down next to him, then frowned.

"Why did you grab another one?!" Matt whisper-yelled. "Alcohol won't help you, Valentino."

"But it makes me pass out," Valentino argued. "And that helps me forget all my problems, if only for a few precious hours." He struggled with the cork of his current bottle, then finally opened it. Matt sighed, pouting as he took a drink from it.

"Why do you keep hurting yourself like this?" Matt questioned in a soft voice.

"It's my only way out," Valentino responded. "It helps me forget all the mistakes I've made."

"I've made mistakes that I want to forget, too," Matt replied, "and yeah, they suck, but they're there to learn from and grow from. Not to drink and cry and cut yourself over!"

"I know," Valentino admitted, "but it just...hurts too much. It feels like my only choice left."

Matt sighed. "Man," he remarked, "you're a lot more like Tom than I realized."

Valentino looked at him from the side of his view. "How so?"

"Well, I mean..." Matt wrung his hands together, hoping Tom wouldn't mind him talking about this. "He drinks for fun most of the time, but sometimes it's to hide the pain he's experienced. It's like, bad memories come up randomly and he just drinks and drinks so he doesn't have to remember them anymore. I used to hate him for it, but now it's sort of become second nature and I just ignore it."

"Did he ever scare you?" Valentino inquired.

"...Sometimes," Matt confessed. "He's usually pretty quiet when he's drunk, but back when I used to try and actually stop him from drinking, he'd get a bit...violent. He'd never do anything too drastic, but he did hit me once. Emphasis on once. He feels really bad about it, even though it was years ago."

Valentino chuckled. "I guess even the roughest of actions can never stop one's addiction," he commented.

"Yeah, guess so," Matt said.

The two were silent for a moment, until Valentino let out a deep exhale through his mouth. Matt immediately coughed and covered his face.

"How strong is that stuff?!" Matt exclaimed. "I can practically smell the spice!"

"It is Spanish," Valentino explained simply. "Of course it will be spicy. Cinnamon is one of the ingredients, after all."

"No wonder you have like thirty bottles of it," Matt remarked.

Valentino laughed. "Not all of this is queimada," he replied. "Some are margaritas, martinis, sangria, and even a few bottles of wine. In fact, that one you took from me was a sangria."

Matt didn't know how to respond to that. All he really felt was sadness and hopelessness, because he couldn't help Valentino. As if in response to his emotions, Valentino sighed and looked away.

"May I ask you a question?" the brunet asked quietly.

"You just did," Matt replied, trying to lighten the mood.

"Matt, please." The tone of Valentino's voice showed he wanted this to be serious.

"Sorry. What's your question?" Matt ran a hand through his hair, hoping this wouldn't be awkward.

Valentino pushed the tips of his fingers together, looking nervous. He took in a deep breath, then looked directly at Matt.

"Do you trust me?" he asked.

Matt thought for a moment. Valentino seemed to stare straight into him, never breaking eye contact. He tried to keep a straight face, but anxiousness slipped through every once in a while.

Finally, Matt replied, "Yes. Maybe not quite as much as Edd, Tom, and kind of Tord, but there's still enough trust there to say that I would tell you secrets and not be worried that you would go around betraying me."

Valentino nodded, then suddenly burst into tears. Matt stared in alarm, wondering what was wrong.

"I-I did something horrible, Matty," Valentino sobbed.

"What?" Matt was worried now.

"I was j-just trying to comfort her after Lonnie's death a-and-" Valentino couldn't finish his sentence.

"Hey, slow down," Matt said. He pulled Valentino into a hug, though it was a bit of an awkward side-hug. "Calm down a bit and just tell me what happened."

"It's all my fault, Matty," Valentino cried. "She's dead because of me!"

Now Matt realized why those two ghosts he had stumbled upon earlier looked so familiar. They were Lonnie and Mattie!

"Oh, Tino..." Matt thought for a moment. "It's not your fault at all. You can't blame yourself if she decided to kill herself to be with Lonnie. You were just trying to do the right thing and comfort her."

"Y-Yeah..." Valentino didn't know what else to say. He certainly didn't want to admit that he killed Mattie, albeit while possessed, but he also wanted Matt to know the truth. Eventually, he just decided to tell Matt something else.

"I've done so many other horrible things," he said. "I've hurt so many people and probably cost people their jobs or stuff they really wanted or maybe even caused a divorce, I don't know the butterfly effect is really weird-"

"Okay, slow down for a second there, you sound like you're speaking another language," Matt chuckled. "Why are you telling me all this anyway?"

"I trust you more than anything else," Valentino admitted. "I trust you more than this floor. At least you will not fall out beneath my feet sometimes." He shook his head to stop his own rambling. "B-But...it feels like you are the only person I can rely on. I feel like I can tell you all of my opinions, my secrets, my past...and not worry about being ridiculed for it. It seems ridiculous, after all I have only known you for a mere week or so, but..." Valentino stopped talking then. He didn't really know how to put this, and he didn't want to risk accidentally revealing his crush.

"But?" Matt sounded curious, but patiently waited for Valentino to find his words.

"What I am trying to say is, I do not want to hide things from you any longer," Valentino continued. "After all, I feel like I can trust you with any information, and I have not told you anything." Valentino sighed. "You deserve to know."

"To know all the horrible things you've done?" Matt finished.

Valentino nodded. "I, um..." He suddenly didn't know where to start.

"You don't have to tell me if you're uncomfortable," Matt assured him. "I want you to feel ready to say you want to say."

"I stole a lot of things," Valentino blurted out. "Like from stores. As in, I sort of robbed them. Uh, not at gunpoint! And not money. Oh god this is going horribly..." Valentino buried his head in his hands.

Matt blinked a few times, then snorted.

"I know, I look so innocent you could never believe I stole things," Valentino muttered.

"No, I believe you," Matt replied. "But you're being so awkward about it. Just take a deep breath and explain it all."

"You're not scared?" Valentino removed his hands, looking surprised.

"I mean, you said you didn't do it at gunpoint," Matt reminded. "Why would I be scared of you? It's not like you have anything to steal from me."

"I...suppose you're right." Valentino averted his eyes. "A-Anyways...I stole many things. There is really no reason for it either. I just...felt like stealing things. Well, no, I did not just wake up and feel a need to steal things. I sort of planned it out...but not with malicious intent! I, well...it is hard to explain."

"It has something to do with your mental state, doesn't it?" Matt guessed.

Valentino nodded. "My therapist said that a symptom of one of my mental problems...disorders...whatever you may call them, is impulsive actions. That means whenever I feel upset by something, whether it be an outside force or my brain malfunctioning as per usual, I go into this impulse cycle. I feel guilt, so I commit some sort of impulsive action - self-harm, illegal stuff, et cetera - to take away the pain, then feel guilty about that, then commit more impulsive actions, and the cycle repeats. Stealing was one of the many things I did to make myself feel better. Of course, all it did was make me feel worse."

"That sounds awful to go through," Matt remarked.

"It was, and still is," Valentino responded. "But I was smart about it, at least. I always did it during the winter or in rainy weather, when it was acceptable to wear a hoodie, and stole small things that had practically no value. W-Well, except for some clothes, and maybe flowers, and jewelry...those had value."

"And you never got caught?" Matt sounded surprised.

"I was caught twice," Valentino answered. "The first time, I was trying to find, um..." Valentino stumbled over his words. "...headache, uh, medicine..." 

Valentino glanced over at Matt. His face said it all: He wasn't buying it.

"Alright, I'll just be blunt with it!" Valentino yelled, throwing his hands into the air. "I was trying to find drugs, okay? Cigarettes, pills, something to just get addicted to or overdose on or whatever. Anyways, I was finding anything that had melatonin or that sleepy stuff in it and stuffing it into my pockets when this lady came over from the other aisle and caught me right in the middle of it. However, she noticed I was grabbing this bottle of fever reducer - don't you dare judge me, they taste like fucking Heaven and are so good after the foul taste of nicotine - and she said..."

Valentino cleared his throat, then put on his best Southern Christian girl accent.

"Oh, honey, I know your situation. When I used to live on the streets, I had to sneak practically anything from stores, especially cold medicine thanks to how sick we got. I hope whatever's going on gets better. God bless your soul."

By the end of it, Matt didn't know if it would be considered rude to laugh as hard as he could from that stupid voice. Thankfully, Valentino switched back to his normal voice, so Matt could be serious again.

"And then she just walked away!" Valentino exclaimed. "She caught me right in the middle of a criminal act, sympathized with it, and walked away like nothing was wrong. I felt so bad because I was not even in as horrible of a situation as she claimed to be in. I was just stealing shit because my mind told me to!"

"That's...pretty incredible," Matt commented. "What about the other story?"

"Oh, dear, that one..." Valentino sighed. "Well, this time I had gone to a nearby drugstore to get, of all things, candies. After all, chocolate and cinnamon are my life and blood. Anyways, I had gotten them stuffed into my pockets and was walking out when the cashier, who had most likely noticed I went straight for the candy and never bought anything, yelled out, 'Hey, you have to pay for those! Come back here!'"

"They really caught you?" Matt sounded like he was on the edge of his seat, dying to hear the rest of it.

"Not...exactly," Valentino confessed. "You see, there was another man leaving at the same time as me, and we were wearing very similar hoodies. We had both heard the cashier, and I decided to act normal. I was taking every precaution necessary to not rot in prison, so I figured if I acted like nothing was wrong, I would not be caught. The other guy, however... I do not know if he thought I was armed, or was just scared to be around someone who had stolen something, but he ran as fast as he could over to his car. Because of that, one of the other workers at the store ran out after him, thinking he was the culprit. I still do not know what happened to him, but I really hope he is okay..."

"That's awful!" Matt cried.

"I know..." Valentino hid his face in his hands. "I'm so awful, tainting an innocent's reputation like that..."

"Hey, that doesn't mean you're awful." Matt patted Valentino's shoulder reassuringly.

"But I've done so many bad things!" Valentino argued. "I stole all that stuff, I made an innocent person out to be guilty, I made a woman think I was poor, oh I'm such a horrible person! I'm not even a person, I'm a monster..."

"Valentino, doing some bad things doesn't make you a bad person," Matt said. "We all make mistakes."

"But I knew I was doing bad things, and I did them anyway," Valentino retorted.

"But did you have a choice?" Matt asked.

Valentino looked at him funny. "What? Of course I did."

"I mean, did you feel like you have a choice?" Matt continued. "As in, if you hadn't stolen things, would you have harmed yourself further, or even committed suicide?"

"Probably," Valentino admitted.

"Then it's settled," Matt concluded.

"How?!" Valentino exclaimed.

Matt sighed. "Alright, let me explain. I believe you need two things to commit a sinful act: Knowledge and choice. Of course you knew this was bad, but if your only other option was death or some other form of harm, then you had no choice. For example, say you work at some sort of store or bank. A robber comes in with a gun, points it at you, and demands money or you die. You have no choice in this situation, because all your free will is taken away when a weapon - or any kind of violence, for that matter - is involved. Therefore, you had no choice but to steal here, because otherwise you would be dead."

"I would rather be dead anyway," Valentino replied.

"Oh, don't start with this shit again!" Matt's voice cracked on the last word and he buried his face in his hands. Valentino's eyes widened in concern.

"Wait wait wait, what did I do wrong?" Valentino asked. "I'm sorry, please tell me what happened..."

"Your stupid suicidal thoughts," Matt sobbed. Valentino could tell from his voice that he was crying, which made him panic.

"No no no, please don't cry!" he exclaimed. He tried to pry Matt's hands away from his face so he could wipe his tears away.

"I wouldn't be crying if it wasn't for you!" Matt shouted, slapping Valentino's hand away from him. He stared down at the brunet, tears streaming down his cheeks. Valentino stared up at him with shock, fear, and concern. Matt continued, "I want to help you. I want to consider you a friend, but I can't if you keep doing this. Every time I try to make you feel better, you just turn it back to how awful you are and all that bullshit. Heck, whenever people hurt you, you only forgive them because you think you deserve it. It's unhealthy!"

"I c-can't help it," Valentino choked out.

"I know you can't help feeling the way you do, but we can help you if you would just cooperate," Matt responded. "I know it's hard to forgive yourself for mistakes and everything else, but you need to move on. It's going to be difficult, but you can't keep dwelling on the past all the time, and you can't keep this unhealthy vision of yourself. You need to learn to let it go sometime, because it hurts not only you, but people around you. We want to help you as much as we can, but we can't help if you don't pitch in. It's a team effort."

"I never realized how much I was hurting you," Valentino mumbled. "I thought I was only hurting myself..."

"And you shouldn't be doing that," Matt scolded. "You matter just as much as anything else on this planet. You're a part of our lives. We don't want to lose you. And you don't want to lose yourself."

"I really matter that much to you?" Valentino didn't really comprehend how anyone could consider him worth anything.

"Valentino..." Matt suddenly grabbed the sides of Valentino's face, turning it towards him so they stared at each other. "You matter so much more than you think. If we lose you, we lose one of the best creations this universe has given us. You may feel like just a mistake, but you're one of the most integral parts of life. Without you, the cogs can't keep working as usual. And even if we try to replace you, nothing will be the same. We care about you so much. And if that doesn't convince you that you matter, then I don't know what will."

Valentino blinked a few times. He felt tears roll down his cheeks, from happiness or sadness he didn't know. All he could really focus on was Matt's speech...and the fact that Matt was still grabbing his face and making him blush and also wiping away his tears with his thumbs and was he getting closer or was that just Valentino's imagination?

Suddenly, Matt chuckled. "Your face is so hot, it could probably thaw a frozen steak right now," he remarked.

Valentino laughed along with him as Matt removed his hands. He felt an urge to reach up and touch his face to see just how warm it was, or to feel Matt's soft hands with his own. However, he resisted it so he didn't seem creepy in front of Matt. Instead, he wiped his eyes with his sleeve.

"I think I finally realize what I have been doing wrong," Valentino sighed. "I...I want to change for the better."

"Well, you got through the first step of becoming a better person," Matt said. "Accepting your mistakes."

"What's the second step?" Valentino asked.

"Moving on from them," Matt replied.

"Easier said than done," Valentino commented. He and Matt shared a laugh. They leaned up against the wall, feeling closer than ever before. That was partially because they were sitting quite close together, but also because they felt a stronger bond between them now.

"Think you'll ever get over that alcohol addiction?" Matt questioned.

Valentino laughed heartily. "No."

His answer, in turn, made Matt laugh as well. Valentino couldn't help but chuckle along with him, since his laugh was so contagious - and, of course, Valentino found it cute. Eventually their laughter died out, and it was back to painful silence.

"Hey, um..." Valentino averted his eyes. "I am sorry for all the pain I have caused you and everyone else. I promise I never meant any harm unto you."

Matt pulled him into a tight hug. "All is forgiven, Tino," he whispered. "It's going to take time and patience to change, but as long as you put in the effort, you can do it. We'll be there to encourage you, too."

Valentino almost wanted to cry again, from happiness this time. He never had people there to genuinely encourage him, or to tell him that he could try to change. He was always told it was something he was born with and could never grow out of. He never knew that he could actually do something about it. He wanted to hug Matt as tight as he could, kiss him, thank him a million times, he could think of many more but he was afraid of thinking about them. Just as he finally found the courage to reach up to keep Matt's arms wrapped around him, Matt let go of him and put his arms at his sides again. Valentino wished he could grab them and put them around him again, but he would definitely seem desperate then. He resorted to just putting his hands in his lap.

"Hey, Tino," Matt began, "what is it like having...mental issues?"

"It is...different," Valentino answered. "I...I thought I was normal for a while. Childhood innocence and all that. However, it all changed when I started my education. Even though my parents explained the concept of school and that they would have to leave me there for a while, I still did not understand it. When it came time to introduce myself, I found myself completely unable to speak. I was never mute before, I had started speaking a little late but there was never any serious problem with my speech until now. Everyone sat there, waiting for me to just say something, but all I could do was sit there and stare at my lap, close to tears because I could not do the one thing everyone was expected to do. It was my first day of school and I had already failed one simple task!

"Needless to say, the teacher just moved on to the next few students, then started class as usual. She expected everyone to participate, and she made it clear that she wanted everyone to answer a question, whether they wanted to or not. When she got to me, I once again could not talk. It was not that I did not want to, but it felt like there was something completely preventing me from it. She kept looking at me with this expectant face, and the other children were all staring like I was some sort of freak. Eventually, she sighed and let the other children go play, while she pulled me aside to talk. She kept asking me why I would not participate, and I could not answer."

"So you were completely mute?" Matt questioned.

Valentino nodded. "She ended up calling the front office to ask if my parents specified if I had, and I quote, 'special needs.' I suppose the ladies there told her that I knew Spanish alongside English, and her immediate thought was that I could not answer because I could not understand English. Which of course was not the answer at all! I understood her perfectly, so there was no language barrier. Nonetheless, she ushered me over to go play with the other kids. That was also a bust, because I could not talk to them. They kept asking me questions and crowding around me, and it all made me so anxious, because I felt like a circus animal. I distinctly remember the whole room becoming a void. The floor had fallen out beneath me, all the objects I had seen earlier were floating around with no sense of gravity. They all morphed together and spun around and turned into this horrible beast with so many voices, all taunting me and I couldn't respond and couldn't leave the nightmare and I, and I-"

Valentino cut himself off, suddenly hyperventilating upon remembering all of it. Matt, shocked, gripped Valentino's shoulders in an attempt to calm him down.

"Shh, calm down," Matt comforted in a quiet, reassuring voice. "It's okay. You're not there. You're here, with me. Nothing bad is happening. It's all calm, nobody is hurting you."

With Matt's soothing voice in his ears, Valentino soon calmed down, brought back to reality. He took slow, deep breaths.

"If you don't want to keep talking about this, I won't make you," Matt murmured.

"No, no, I will be alright," Valentino assured. "I want you to be able to understand, anyway. Um, where was I? Oh, yes, my very first disassociation. When it was over with, I found myself shivering in a corner, unable to do anything else. Thankfully by then, the school day was practically over, so parents were already arriving to pick up their kids. As everyone left, the teacher tried in vain to calm me down, until my parents arrived. She went to talk to them, leaving me to continue my panic attack while she told them about my behavior. I was finally settling down when she brought my parents back to me, and they took me back and immediately drove to the doctor to get me diagnosed. My mother kept insisting I was just a problem child, but Papá knew this was not a normal thing. All the while, I felt awful, because I associated doctors with sickness. I knew that I was sick in some way, but I did not know how or why, and that made me feel even worse."

"Did your parents never explain it to you?" Matt inquired.

"They somewhat did," Valentino explained. "The doctor explained that since the situation was new and unfamiliar, I was so uncomfortable that my throat closed up and my mind tried to create an escape for me, but it only ended up making things worse. I asked so many questions about it, and everyone just answered, 'Oh, we will find a cure sometime,' or 'You just have a little more imagination, that is all.' However, upon growing up I figured out there was no cure, and I was born with a curse beyond anything I had read in my little fairy tales. At least they could be revived with a kiss from a prince..."

"Well, there's gotta be some alternate universe out there where I'm a prince and you're cursed and I gotta kiss you better," Matt responded.

Valentino's face burned. "A-Ah, that is a...possibility," he mumbled. 

In his head, however, he was screaming, _Don't tease me like that, Matty!_

Matt just chuckled about it. Valentino continued, "Anyways, the school was notified of my disability, and things were changed specifically for me. I was transferred to another classroom where the number of students were slightly smaller, so I would not feel so crowded. Others were told to be quiet and calm around me, so I would not be so anxious, and I was allowed to have time to myself during free time. However, because of the rules in place, children refused to interact with me. I enjoyed the solitude for some time, but eventually I become so lonely that I decided to try and make some friends. Of course, as soon as I walked up to one of them and tapped on her shoulder, she looked back at me with this confused expression and I went mute, again. I opened my mouth to say something, and nothing would come out. However, everyone started crowding around me, insisting I say something. They were so excited for me to actually say a single word that they completely forgot about the rules and made me completely break down."

"So you disassociated again?" Matt already knew the answer, but he didn't want Valentino to have to explain it and risk him breaking down again.

Valentino nodded. "However, just my luck, the teacher that day was a substitute who was not entirely informed on how to deal with me or what the children's rules were. He completely ignored the fact that the children were yelling at me, passing it off as them playing. I was stuck in a world full of voices screaming, with my only escape across the room, where I could not reach it. Eventually, it became so much that I screamed for my father and burst into tears. This finally alerted the teacher to me, though all the children were preoccupied with getting me to say more words because they had finally heard my voice. The substitute kept asking me what was wrong, all the children were telling him I had finally said something, and I could only keep blubbering on and on about how I wanted my father. My memory fails a bit at this point, but I vaguely remember being taken to the office and having my parents called. Thankfully, after that mess, things got better."

"Really?" Matt seemed surprised. 

Valentino nodded, smiling warmly. "The children were rather nice to me from then on. They started to include me in games, if of course I consented. They also asked about what books I read, what I liked drawing, and other things about me. I soon found my voice again, so I could actually talk to them. I was not completely free from my anxiety attacks, temporary muteness, and disassociation, but I was handling it. Over time, however, my episodes started to become unpredictable. Of course, the effects were heightened when I experienced intense emotions, but sometimes they happened unexpectedly. Thankfully, though, technology was improving at that point, so tools were being made for me to use to keep my subconscious occupied, and I grew old enough to be able to take pills and get a therapist for all of it. I even wrote in diaries, drew out my feelings, composed songs, all to get my feelings away from my mind and to express them in a way only I knew how. However, as you can guess, I lost all of those when I came here to the hotel, so my problems are reappearing and I can do nothing to stop them."

"Well, we're gonna be your new therapists," Matt declared. He leaned back, pushed up imaginary glasses, and clasped his hands together. In a mock serious and overly British voice, he asked, "So, Valentino...I have no idea what your last name is, how are you feeling today?"

Valentino burst into laughter. "It is Rosette, sir. And I am feeling extremely giggly because of your stupid antics!" He snorted.

"Well, Mister Rosette, you really should not refer to your superior as stupid," Matt continued. He raised an eyebrow. "And is that really your last name? It's not as Spanish as it should be."

"Oh, like you would know Spanish culture, you crumpet-eating degenerate!" Valentino teased, pushing Matt's shoulder and laughing.

"I say!" Matt sat up, grabbing an imaginary monocle in mock offense. He switched to his regular voice, proclaiming, "Now you're gonna get it!" He lunged at Valentino, who yelped and ducked out of the way. Matt ended up crashing into the side of the desk, collapsing. Valentino, concerned, crawled over to him.

"Are you alright?!" he exclaimed. 

Suddenly, Matt's hand shot up and grabbed him by the collar. Matt scrambled up and pinned Valentino to the ground, laughing maniacally.

"Any last words, Valentino?" Matt inquired. "Or are you ready to be sacrificed to the tickle monster?"

"You will never take me alive!" Valentino yelled. He grabbed Matt's collar and swiftly turned him over so that their roles were reversed. He moved his arms and legs to balance himself more easily, though this meant putting them both on either side of Matt to effectively keep him trapped without hurting him.

"Now who is on top?" Valentino asked, grinning wildly.

"Geez, you're a total power bottom, huh?" Matt remarked.

"I have no idea what that means," Valentino giggled, "but it sounds like me."

Matt laughed. "What the hell is wrong with us?"

"We are total children," Valentino commented.

"Got anything more to say before you tickle me to death?" Matt questioned.

"No mercy!" Valentino yelled. He quickly took advantage of Matt's stomach, tickling it wildly.

"Wait- wait, I didn't mean it!" Matt exclaimed, in between fits of giggles. "Please- spare me!"

"There is no such thing as sparing in these parts!" Valentino replied. "Justice for the one who dare disrespect the Spanish culture!"

"Get off me, ya big pin-ata!" Matt screamed, pronouncing "piñata" extremely wrong just to piss Valentino off.

Valentino stopped tickling for just a moment, to give Matt hope. "Ah, so you want to play this game the hard way, hmm?" he asked, in a sudden low and husky voice.

"Give me all ya got!" Matt demanded.

"I recall that just a few moments ago, you were begging for mercy." Valentino kept dragging it on.

"Well, you're weak cuz you're Latino, so I can take anything you give me," Matt declared, crossing his arms defiantly.

"Wait, what is that?" Valentino pointed across the room. Matt, oblivious to Valentino's plan, looked over there.

"I don't see any-" Matt was cut off by his own screech as Valentino dove towards Matt's neck and blew raspberries into it. "I'm sorry! Please- stop this!"

"I thought you said you could take anything from me," Valentino chuckled, continuing to tickle Matt. Matt, in an attempt to fight him off, kicked his legs wildly.

"I underestimated you!" Matt exclaimed. "Please, give me mercy!"

Valentino rose his head, laughing and shaking his head. Matt panted, trying to calm down from the attack. Valentino, seeing no reason to keep Matt trapped since he had gotten his revenge, now sat on Matt's abdomen. He didn't really care if it seemed sexual in the moment. All he was focused on was having fun with him.

"Ugh, I can't believe you won," Matt groaned.

"Espero que obtener follada por un pez," Valentino responded.

"What?" Matt was understandably confused.

"It means, 'I hope you get fucked by a fish,'" Valentino explained.

"You are _so_ drunk right now!" Matt remarked, pushing Valentino off of him and sitting up. Valentino laughed as he fell onto his back. He laid there, putting his hand on his head as he kept laughing. Matt crawled over to him, looming over his face.

"Hey, I never got to tickle you," Matt complained.

"As it should be," Valentino replied.

"Well, I'm gonna get my revenge," Matt declared.

"Try me, ya twink!" Valentino retorted, crossing his arms.

"Hey, I have like twice the muscle mass that you do!" Matt whined.

"Matt is exposed as a twink, everyone!" Valentino announced, pushing away Matt's hands, which were trying to silence him. "Hey, did anyone lose their red-headed stepchild? He looks a bit like a twink!"

"Oh, like you're any better!" Matt said. "You look like a Twinkie! Just look at how tubby you are!"

"All you will be is a Twinkie when I am done with you!" Valentino pushed himself up, once again pinning Matt to the ground. They wrestled for a minute there, Matt trying his hardest not to be tickled again.

"Wait, I take it back!" Matt cried. Valentino stopped for a moment, before Matt continued, "You're more like a bag of crisps, because you're full of hot air!"

Valentino immediately continued trying to tickle Matt again, resorting to trying to pin down his arms with one hand to keep him from struggling.

"Wha- How are you so strong?!" Matt exclaimed as he tried in vain to wrestle Valentino's arms away.

"Like I said, Latino men have powers unlike any other man alive," Valentino replied. "Including ginger twinks like you."

"I'll show you a twink!" Matt let out a cry as he pushed himself up and shook Valentino playfully. The two of them laughed, then slowly quieted down.

"How have we not woken up the others yet?" Valentino inquired.

"We're magic," Matt responded.

They both laughed at that, then sat against the wall again. Silence overtook them for a few moments.

"Hey, uh, Matt..." Valentino wrung his hands together. "Could you maybe...not make fun of my chubbiness? I know we were joking around, but..."

"Oh, no, I understand," Matt reassured. "If you're ever uncomfortable with something, tell me and I'll stop."

"Thank you," Valentino replied. "I just...I am really insecure about my weight because, well...binging is a coping method of mine."

"I could always teach you how to exercise," Matt suggested. "We could train together!"

Valentino chuckled. "That would be nice, but I am afraid it would do nothing to help my weight."

"Why?" Matt tilted his head.

"Reasons," was all Valentino said.

There was silence for a few moments before Matt piped up, "I thought you said that you took pills and tools to help with the mental issues."

"Helping does not mean curing or stopping," Valentino explained. "Plus, I was going through a really bad time in my life. I do not think I am ready to talk about what happened, but just know that it was awful. I do not think I could wish what happened upon my worst enemy." He laughed sharply. "Do I even have a worst enemy? I do not think so, I forgive people too easily..."

Matt's eyes fell across the several bottles still stacked up on the desk. His gaze stared right back at him from the glass.

"Does your alcohol addiction fall under binging?" Matt asked.

"The way I see it, binging is overindulging yourself in any consumable item," Valentino responded. "So, yes, alcohol would be included, as long as it is done within a short time frame. After all, my therapist considered me eating about two meals' worth of food in under an hour or so binging."

"Two meals in under an hour?!" Matt exclaimed. "How do you eat so quickly?"

"I do not," Valentino said. "I had bulimia by my side."

"What's that?" Matt questioned simply, to avoid trying to pronounce the word.

Valentino sighed heavily. "It means I ate a bunch of food and then forced myself to throw it all up right afterwards."

Matt's eyes widened in alarm. "You...how...oh my god."

"I had it for, if memory serves, four years," Valentino said nonchalantly.

"Y-Years?!" Matt screeched.

Valentino nodded. "The years where, let us see...my mother tormented me in my mind despite her being stuck in prison for the time being, the entire school was out to get me because of who I loved, I got in a fight trying to protect the only people who loved me and made everything worse, my service dog died, I was suspended for something I do not even remember doing and therefore my reputation was tarnished and everyone hated me even more than they did before, my only friends left me because of said tarnished reputation, I attempted suicide for the first time-"

"Stop!" Matt yelled, grasping Valentino's shoulder tightly. "Stop," he repeated, quieter. "Please."

Valentino nodded. "I apologize. That is a topic for another time. However, as you can guess, those were the years where I made all my impulse decisions and none of the tools at my disposal could help me anymore."

"No wonder this shit consumes you most of the time," Matt remarked. "I can't even imagine how hard it must be for you."

Valentino nodded. "And the worst part is, nobody else has gone through it, so nobody understands my pain and can never sympathize with me. Well, I would never want people to go through something like that, but I wish someone could relate and understand me, you know?"

Matt nodded. "I feel the same way. I mean, I had a pretty good childhood, even if I was a spoiled brat and every kid hated me, though I was too oblivious to care. However, I started getting older, my parents started fighting, then my dad cheated on my mom and left the house with his new girlfriend. There were so many years of mixed emotions, and all my poor mom could do was try to fill the hole in her heart by spoiling herself above all else and completely neglecting me. Eventually, she got her own boyfriend, and it was pretty much a carbon copy of the old relationship, except my mother never got out of it. He was so abusive to her, but she never found the courage to leave. So we were stuck in this horrible household for ages."

"That's so awful..." Valentino felt tears spring to his eyes. He never wanted Matt to ever feel hurt again.

"Thankfully, around that time I met Edd and Tom," Matt continued. "As we got older, they were already looking for houses to move into, because they just wanted to get away from everything already. We met Tord soon after, and we all got together to pitch in and get this new house for us. I, uh..." Matt rubbed the back of his neck. "I may or may have not stolen money from my stepdad to help get this house for us, but I felt like it was justified at the time because that was the time that my stepdad thought that abusing my mom wasn't enough, so he had to hurt me too."

"Y-You were beaten, too...?" Valentino covered his mouth with his hands, the tears finally streaming. He couldn't believe such a perfect angel like Matt had such a difficult upbringing. He didn't want to believe it.

Matt nodded sadly. "We all had hard lives, but I shouldn't talk about their lives. Anyway, once Tom finally noticed that I didn't completely cover this black eye I had, he made me get the hell out of there. We talked to Edd and Tord about it, and since we couldn't get the new house just yet, Edd let me and my mom stay over at his place so we didn't have to deal with my stepdad anymore. After a year of hiding, we were able to afford the house, and we said goodbye to our awful pasts and made new lives for ourselves."

"Was your mom okay?" Valentino inquired. "Were you okay?"

"Us four were okay, but my mother..." Matt looked away, frowning. His eyes slowly grew wet and shiny, tears threatening to spill over.

"Ah, I'm sorry!" Valentino exclaimed. "You don't need to talk about it if you're not ready." He quickly pulled Matt into a hug.

"Thank you for letting me talk to you, at least," Matt replied.

"Anything for you," Valentino murmured.

Matt smiled, pulling away from the hug to look at Valentino directly. "I just felt like, well since you're telling me all of this stuff about your life, you deserved to know some of mine. Plus, I wanted you to know that I understand a little of what you're going through. I may not have it quite as bad, but I still have some of the same problems you do."

"I am glad you can trust me enough to tell me," Valentino said. "I just wish those kinds of things would not happen to you."

Matt chuckled. "You can't control or change other people. You can only do that to yourself."

Valentino smiled. "I wonder if the world would be better or worse if we could control anyone at any time to do anything."

"I think everything dealing with humans is too unpredictable to tell," Matt responded.

The two went back to sitting against the wall in silence. Valentino tapped his fingers on the ground, absentmindedly noting that Matt's hand was rather close to his. He surveyed the area, trying to seem as if he didn't know exactly what he was doing as he slowly slid his hand closer to Matt's. Eventually, he stopped, debating internally whether to do this or not. Finally, he decided to just get it over with.

Valentino slowly placed his hand on Matt's, then gently curled his fingers around it. He averted his eyes so he wouldn't have to look at what he assumed to be Matt's disgusted face. However, Matt was merely looking from Valentino's face to their intertwined hands, surprised. As Valentino was beginning to have second thoughts and wanted to pull his hand away, Matt suddenly curled his fingers around Valentino's hand as well. Valentino whipped his head around and stared at Matt's face, then down to their hands, then back up and down repeatedly. His face grew hotter and hotter the more he did so. Matt just smiled at him as if nothing was wrong.

It seemed like Valentino's slight hesitation only backfired when Matt was the one who initiated the actions. Though, who's to say that his brain completely bluescreening thanks to any display of affection towards him didn't count as a backfire?

"Uhm..." Valentino once again looked away. "I, uh, wanted to...ask you something?"

_Get your shit together, Valentino_ , he thought to himself. _You sound like a desperate idiot. Well, you are a desperate idiot, but you cannot let that get to your head._

"What is it?" Matt was curious.

"Have you ever been transported to this weird room in the hotel?" Valentino asked.

"What kind of room?" Matt needed details.

"It is all blue," Valentino explained. "Completely blue. There are these curtains billowing in the wind, and all of these angelic whispers that have an amazing job of calming you down. However, the whole time you cannot move, cannot speak, and you hear your own voice among the whispers. It almost feels like a memory, but you do not know what is going on."

"I've never been in that kind of a situation," Matt answered honestly.

"So it is just me, then," Valentino replied.

"I guess so," Matt replied, feeling a bit awkward. "It's probably another one of your disassociations, sorry to say. But maybe you'll get out of it once we help you! Right?" Matt looked at Valentino with a large smile. However, Valentino said nothing. When his grip on Matt's hand tightened, Matt grew concerned.

"Valentino?" Matt waved his free hand in front of Valentino's face. "You alright?"

Valentino didn't answer. He stared off into space, his eyes looking glazed over. His breathing was unnatural, and he shivered slightly. He suddenly shifted his position, moving his knees up to his chest.

"Valentino, come on, this isn't funny!" Matt exclaimed, alarmed. "Did the alcohol finally get to you or what?" He moved over in front of Valentino and grabbed his other hand, shaking them. "Valentino!"

Valentino couldn't answer. He wasn't in reality anymore. He was back in that blue world, the one that had been slowly surrounding him ever since he asked Matt those questions about it. Now, he was stuck in it, completely afraid. There was a figure looming over him, but he couldn't see their face. They seemed to be the one speaking, as their chin moved every time Valentino heard the whispers. They were holding Valentino's hands, rubbing the back of them with their thumbs. All Valentino could focus on were those calming gestures and all the whispers lulling him into a trance.

"Valentino!" Matt yelled. "What's going on? How do I get you out of this?" He moved his hands to Valentino's shoulders and shook him wildly. "Valentino!"

Instead of seeing Matt's wide eyes and hearing all his calls, Valentino could only see this dark figure before him and hear their words. Their hands were now on his shoulders, pushing him closer to the wall. They moved closer, their voice getting slightly louder, more demanding. Valentino couldn't even understand what they were saying. He started to grow uncomfortable with how pushy they were starting to be, and how close they were. He wanted to know who they were, what they were doing, but he couldn't speak or move like always.

Matt now let go of Valentino, thinking he was just making things worse. His mind stormed with ideas of how to try and help, but he couldn't think of anything that would work. He wondered if giving up was the right option.

The figure's hands were still on Valentino's shoulders, however. Or, at least they seemed to be. Valentino felt numb all over, so all he could do was look at the figure's arms to tell where they were. He desperately wanted to push them away, yell at them, do something, but he just couldn't move. He wanted to know why he had this sense of deja vu when he never remembered going through something like this. A weird sensation, maybe panic, rose up in his chest and got stuck in his throat. He stared, helpless, as the figure got closer and closer, hands all over him, keeping him still, keeping him from talking, trying to keep him trapped.

He wasn't going to be trapped again.

" _Let go of me!_ " Valentino screamed.

Matt looked up in alarm at Valentino's shout. The room shook from the intensity, vein-like patterns crawling up the walls. One of the bottles on the edge of the desk toppled over, breaking apart next to Valentino. Everything stopped, the room going back to normal. Valentino shook his head, then noticed the glass next to him. He let out a cry and lunged over to Matt, wrapping his arms around him. Matt, surprised, patted his back.

"Hey, it's okay," he comforted in a soothing voice.

"What's going on?" a familiar voice asked. Matt looked up to see Edd, Tom, and Tord on the other side of the desk, looking down at the two of them.

"And what's with all these bottles?" Tord added, picking up one to inspect it.

"Well, it's pretty weird," Matt replied. "Valentino and I were just talking as normal, and he suddenly went all blank and nothing would get him out of it and...I don't know what happened. You'd have to ask him."

"To be quite honest," Valentino added, his voice muffled against Matt's chest, "I have no idea what went on, either. My disassociations are hard to explain. As for the bottles..." He let go of Matt so he could talk a bit more clearly. "I may or may have not been trying to make myself pass out from drunkenness thanks to my own guilt, but I am okay now. I am...I'm going to change. For the better."

"Well, how about we get outta here before your guilt catches up to you again?" Tom suggested.

"Hey, Valley boy!" a voice shouted. 

Edd, Tom, and Tord turned around to see Krittle run into the main room.

"Are we gonna go searching for the perpetrator or-" Krittle suddenly noticed that Edd, Tom, and Tord were there. "Oh, hey guys. I was looking for Valentino."

"No worries, I am here." Valentino stood up so Krittle could see him over the desk. Matt stood up as well. "And uh..." His face heated up. "Please do not call me Valley."

"Alright, TinTin," Krittle replied, walking up to the desk.

Valentino tensed up.

"Do not look through _those_ memories," he growled.

Krittle signed. "Fine, jeez. Anyways, I see you're trying to drown your sorrows with alcohol again."

"I was," was all Valentino said, putting emphasis on the past tense.

The two stared at each other for a few moments, before Krittle groaned and jumped up into the air. While floating, she spread her arms out wide, then clapped her hands together. The bottles all tilted with her arm movement and formed into a sphere at her clap. She then made a motion with her hands similar to cracking her knuckles, which broke the sphere apart into a million glass shards. She clasped her hands together, making the sphere smaller and smaller, turning it into a glass ball. She then lowered it to the desk, making it a little decoration.

"Thank you!" Valentino exclaimed, climbing over the desk with Matt.

"Well, that was tiring," Krittle remarked, perching herself on Valentino's head. "Can we go on now?"

"Not without the other four," Valentino responded. "And get off my head, ya gremlin."

"Excuse me, I'm a leprechaun." Krittle mocked offense as she jumped down to the ground.

"You are not even Irish," Valentino argued.

"Yeah, whatever." Krittle waved it off. "Can we go possessor-hunting now? I'm bored!"

"Wait, possessor-hunting?" Matt echoed.

"I will explain later," Valentino said. "For now, let us go." He pushed past the rest of them, making his way through the hallway. Krittle ran after him. The others followed right behind them, eager to find out what kind of mission they were going on. However, all they heard was Valentino scolding Krittle for talking about something so dangerous.


	33. Scavenger Hunt

"We should not involve them in a mission like that," Valentino was saying.

"But it'll be fun!" Krittle argued. "Plus, more eyes makes for an easier time finding people with the right aura."

"They cannot even see auras without a mirror," Valentino reminded.

"Ugh, fine," Krittle groaned. "But we're going to find that possessor no matter what, even if we have to drag these guys with us."

"What are we doing?" Edd asked.

"We are exploring," Valentino replied. "That is all."

"What was that about auras and possessors?" Tord inquired, intrigued.

"It's weird paranormal shit, you wouldn't understand it," Krittle dismissed.

"Excuse me?" Tord ran up to Krittle with an offended look. "I read about this all the time now. I can understand it perfectly!"

"Then tell me a fact about ghosts that no human here would know," Krittle challenged.

"Ghosts can read minds," Tord immediately answered.

"Damn, you really do read," Krittle remarked.

"You can read minds?" Tom seemed surprised.

Krittle nodded. "I'm pretty good at it. I practice it a lot."

"Try me," Tom replied.

Krittle was silent for a few moments, then said, "You're wondering what to think about that'll be hard for me to guess, so it doesn't seem like an obvious choice."

Tom's eyes widened, but he didn't really know what to say. Krittle just laughed at his reaction.

"Alright, let's see if you can guess what I'm thinking," Edd said.

"Ringo," Krittle and Valentino answered in unison. She stared at him, shocked, but he just winked at her. Edd seemed just as surprised.

"I can understand Valentino knowing about my cat, but how did you know?" Edd stared at Krittle over his shoulder.

"Like I said, ghosts can read minds," Tord told him.

"Ooh, try me next!" Matt exclaimed.

"You're thinking about how _gorgeous_ I am~" Valentino joked, putting a hand up to his chest and fluttering his eyelashes in the most feminine way possible. Everyone present screamed, "What?!" in response. Valentino burst out laughing, covering his eyes to keep from crying.

"Wow, you're actually having fun." Krittle sounded slightly surprised.

"Well, it is better to live in the present, no?" Valentino chuckled. "Is that not why they call it a gift?"

"Sorry, I don't speak philosophy," Tord replied. Everyone laughed at that.

"Any more ghostly stuff to rattle off, Tordy boy?" Krittle asked. "I can tell they're just bursting at the seams."

"Of course!" Tord smiled, having fun talking about the paranormal. "Ghosts are weakened by electronics, apparently. Something about their structure disrupts the ghost's form slightly and also sucks in all of their thoughts and memories. It really confuses and upsets the ghost and can make strange things happen. I have a theory that it has something to do with the fact that their bodies are made of water vapor."

"Water vapor?" Tom echoed.

"Yep!" Krittle replied. "That's how we're able to pass through objects, why a room feels colder when we're around, why we're invisible in sunlight, and how we can float. It's also how we're able to shift our appearances so drastically, whether we're cursed or making the illusions ourselves. There's other cool stuff, but there's also drawbacks, such as conducting electricity rather violently in certain situations. So uh, be careful with open sparks."

"What other sorts of powers do you have?" Matt questioned.

"Lots of them," Krittle answered. "We can make illusions, turn objects into other things, manipulate stuff, haunt things, possess things, there's too many to list off. One of my favorite things to do is fuck with people by whispering things in their ear while I'm invisible."

"But you don't just come out with all these cool powers, right?" Tom asked.

Krittle nodded. "Yeah, you actually have to practice them and learn how to control them and what sort of things you can do. Some ghosts are better with certain powers than others. You can also generally expect a ghost who is older to be more powerful, though that isn't always true."

"Are there any consequences to being a ghost?" Edd inquired.

"Definitely," Krittle said. "You develop a sort of post-traumatic stress disorder towards whatever killed you. For example, someone who drowned would be terrified of water. Also, ghosts can completely disappear from existence if their place of death is destroyed. For example, say someone died in a house, and that house is later demolished and never rebuilt, possibly replaced with just trees or other things. The ghost would therefore cease to exist. However, if the house is rebuilt or remade into something else, the ghost would be okay. I'm not too sure about how strict the rules are, though."

"That's kinda terrifying," Tom remarked.

Krittle nodded. "Considering how many deaths this hotel causes, I wouldn't be surprised if they destroyed it completely soon. Who knows, maybe the curse here is keeping us alive. I don't know."

It was silent for a few moments. The group continued on through the hallway with no goal in mind. Edd led the way with Matt just behind him. Tord stood near Krittle and Valentino, while Tom took up the back. Eventually, Edd opened his mouth to say something.

"Possession," Valentino said.

Everyone turned their heads to look at him. Valentino looked at Edd with a weird glint in his eye.

"You were going to ask about possession," he explained.

Edd raised an eyebrow. Tord turned to Krittle, and she replied, "That's right. How the hell did you know that?"

Valentino shrugged. "Lucky guess. Mind explaining what it is?"

Krittle narrowed her eyes in irritation, but obliged. "Possession is when a ghost takes over the body of something else, whether it be an object, animal, plant, or other life form. It's very powerful, but must be used in moderation because it takes up most of the ghost's energy. The thing being possessed must break a mirror in order to get out of it, or the ghost must leave the body themselves. It's probably the most difficult ghost thing to get out of. It's also very dangerous."

"I think the book said that sometimes it can kill," Tord added.

Krittle nodded. "Though, the ghost has to be in the body for a very long time, especially if they died recently. After all, our bodies are water vapor, which will get cold over time. If that cold stuff is left in a body for long enough, it will eventually freeze the host from the inside."

"Well, that's terrifying to think about," Tom remarked.

"It gets even worse," Tord said. "I read that sometimes you just have to be near a dead body to get possessed. Apparently their intense emotions towards someone or something just before their death can lead their not yet formed spirit to inhabit a host and do their bidding based on said emotions."

Valentino suddenly stopped in his tracks. His body slightly wavered from side to side, making him seem unbalanced. Everyone stared back at him in concern. Krittle suddenly raised her eyebrows in understanding. She moved over to him, patting his arm and looking up at him. He stared down, looking scared. She raised her eyebrow.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Krittle whispered to him.

"I think I need to sit down," Valentino responded, his voice cracking as he lowered his body to the ground. Krittle gave him a slight nod of understanding. The others, hearing Valentino, gathered around comfortably. They looked on in concern. Just as Krittle turned away to go sit down as well, Valentino grabbed her arm. She looked over at him in surprise.

"We are going to find that damn possessor," he growled, staring out in front of him instead of at Krittle. She agreed with a grunt.

"So what's this about a possessor hunt?" Tord asked.

"Yeah, I was wondering about that," Edd said.

"Do you mind if I explain?" Krittle turned to Valentino. He merely nodded, his mind focused on other things. She elaborated, "Valentino was possessed by someone, so we're going to go find who it was."

Matt's eyes widened. "Is he still possessed?"

Krittle laughed. "Nah, dude! You can tell by his eyes. They're the regular lovely brown, so he's fine. If they were glowing a different color, that means he's possessed."

"His eyes have turned purple before," Tord commented.

Valentino tensed up and curled his body into a ball, putting his head in between his knees and his body. He started shaking. Krittle patted his back to comfort him.

"Well, this time they were this weird green color," Krittle continued, completely dismissing Tord's comment. "I've never seen anyone with an aura like that, so we're trying to find out who it is."

"Aura?" Edd echoed.

"It's a thing all ghosts have," Krittle explained. "When someone is possessed, their eyes glow the color of the ghost's aura. A ghost not in its human form will have blood the color of their aura. Sometimes when using powers, their eyes will glow their aura color. It's just a thing to help differentiate one another. It also helps us figure out who is a ghost and who isn't, because we can sense auras around us. Humans and other life forms don't have them."

Tord nodded thoughtfully, looking like he was figuring out something in his head. His eyes were trained on Valentino, who still hadn't come out from his ball of a human body. The others just looked around at nothing, trying to think of things to say.

"What's the deal with mirrors and paranormal shit?" Tom asked.

"Mirrors reveal illusions or make illusions," Krittle answered. "They're very helpful in the way of finding ghosts or other fake things around. I'm sure you're already familiar with how they work, though."

"Does that mean all of you don't like mirrors?" Matt inquired. "Like you're vampires or something?"

Krittle snorted. "I'm fine with them, but I can't speak for every ghost. I'm sure if they're afraid of being found out, or perhaps their death dealt with mirrors, they wouldn't want to be near them."

"You said something earlier about ghosts having energy," Edd mentioned. "What does all that mean?"

"Ghosts rely on the energy stored in their bodies," Krittle said. "It's there so we aren't as fragile as humans, what with having to eat and sleep daily. However, we do occasionally need those things if we run out of energy too quickly. We use up energy when we use our powers, and while it does slowly regenerate itself, especially if we're in our regular ghost form, using up too much requires us to get energy from outside sources. Thankfully, however, we use up all of the energy we store, so we have no need to...clean our bodies out, if you know what I mean."

"What are some other basic facts?" Tom questioned.

"Well, it's impossible for us to have children," Krittle replied. "We can't get any infections or diseases, including sexually-transmitted ones. So at least whores get enjoyment out of being dead."

"Krittle, that is insensitive," Valentino warned, his voice muffled.

Krittle sighed through her nose and rolled her eyes. "Anyways, you can call that a blessing or a curse. Another thing about ghosts, they can't gain or lose weight. It's kinda heartbreaking if you think about all the people who starve themselves to death or those who died to all the health problems behind morbid obesity. And one final thing, never touch a ghost while it's sleeping."

"Why?" everyone immediately asked.

"The thing about ghosts is that they mimic their death subconsciously while asleep," Krittle explained. "As in, they sleep in the pose they died in. While in that deep sleep, their form gets a bit wacky. Even if they fell asleep in their human form, they will still be able to be passed through, because their energy is so low and the illusion can't work completely. If you pass through a sleeping ghost's body, you will go straight through their form to the sensitive organs in it. Because these organs are the things keeping the ghost's body running and you just disturbed the form of it, things get crazy. For example..."

Krittle thought for a few moments, then raised her finger in exclamation. "Say a ghost is sleeping and you don't notice it's there. You happen to walk through its head. The form of the ghost's mind was disturbed, so the ghost will experience pretty abnormal stuff, such as amnesia, hallucinations, thought disorders, muscle spasms, the list goes on. Depending on what part you hit, the side effects will pertain to it and be more mild or severe. They go on until the ghost gains enough energy, though that can be difficult to accomplish, or if the ghost dies."

"Ghosts can die?!" Matt exclaimed.

"Yeah, but they come back," Krittle said. "If they suffer a fatal wound, their body disappears for a while, and then they reform later. I've heard rumors that it's possible to kill a ghost out of existence, but I don't know how it can happen."

It was silent for a while before Tord suddenly questioned, "Can ghosts control minds?" 

"Well, that's usually done through possession, but I've read that powerful ghosts can block out a person's thoughts," Krittle answered. "For example, if a ghost wants you to not think about something, they can stop your train of thought and keep you from talking about a certain thing. Though, it usually leaves the person disoriented. I think really powerful ghosts can go so far as to make people their mindless slaves. I don't know if it's really true or not, though. I don't know if this counts as controlling minds, but ghosts do have some telepathy powers. I'm still trying to figure out how to do it."

"That makes more sense," Tord mumbled, still looking at Valentino suspiciously. Valentino, feeling Tord's eyes on him, held his breath out of nervousness.

"What do you think he is figuring out?" Valentino said under his breath to Krittle. "I hope he has not found out about the truth behind the possession...I do not want them to know what I did..."

"It's not your fault," Krittle whispered back. "Let's just focus on finding the perpetrator and move on from this. It's better to find closure and then let go."

Valentino nodded. "I think I am okay now...or maybe not. I do not know. Ugh, I need more alcohol..." He retreated his head back into his knees.

"It's better if we get on the road and figure this out before your mind explodes," Krittle told him.

"I get it, but can we please not talk about ghosts and especially possession anymore?" Valentino inquired under his breath. "It makes me anxious..."

Krittle nodded in understanding, figuring it was because of Valentino's predicament with being possessed. Valentino stood back up with a groan of pain, his limbs cracking as he stretched. The others got up as well, letting Valentino and Krittle lead the way.

"Psst," Krittle whispered. "How do you suppose we distract them so they're safe while we look for the possessor?"

"I got it." Valentino closed his eyes for a few seconds. Krittle felt a weird shift in the air, as if something around them was being moved around. Valentino suddenly pounded on his chest with his fist, coughing like he couldn't breathe.

"You okay?" Tom questioned.

"I am fine," Valentino replied, relaxing. "I think I just had something stuck in my throat." He suddenly made a noise of surprise, stopping. "Oh, here is a door."

"Do we really need to explore every room?" Tord questioned.

"It's best to check everything we come across considering we're looking for someone," Krittle replied. "Go on, open it."

Tom pushed forward and opened the door for all of them. Edd, Matt, and Tord went in first. Valentino let Tom go in next, then he and Krittle entered last. They stared out at the room, an entirely new environment that looked like a different world to explore. It was full of bright colors and seemed promising. Valentino shivered.

"Something about this room makes me...uneasy," he admitted.

"Really?" Matt seemed surprised. After all, the entire room was colorful and something Valentino would celebrate and dance around in for hours.

"You four go on," Valentino responded. "I think I will stay back here, or maybe go outside."

"Alright." Edd, Tom, Matt, and Tord continued on through the room, a bit concerned for Valentino but figuring he needed some fresh air or rest. Valentino smirked to himself, ushering Krittle out of the room and following her out.

"Nice plan," Krittle praised. "You're better at lying than I thought you were."

"Well, it is all I have to do nowadays anyway," Valentino replied. "I have been practicing all my life."

"Yeah, I know, I can see your memories," Krittle said. "Still got that marble?"

Valentino nodded, taking it out of his pocket. It glowed in the dim light, still that strange green.

Krittle continued, "Where to for the search?"

Valentino scanned the hall. "There is someone nearby," he noted. "Possibly two."

"Really?" Krittle looked down at her hands. "I can't sense any auras..."

"Come on." Valentino grabbed Krittle's arm and led her through the hall, slowly at first but gradually picking up speed. As they traveled through, Krittle soon felt the chills that indicated there was a ghost nearby. She closed her doll eye and looked through the walls to see if she could figure out the aura colors. However, with the walls in the way, the colors were too faint for her to make out. The only thing she could see was that they were bright. She opened her eye again and focused on making it to the destination. Suddenly, Valentino skidded to a stop, letting go of Krittle so quickly she fell over.

"Hey, idiot, what's-" She gasped when she noticed the figures in front of them.

Lonnie and Mattie stood in front of them, looking rather confused. Behind Lonnie's eyes were the same green that Krittle had seen in Valentino's eyes when he was possessed. Valentino's expression changed from determined to scared in a matter of seconds. In his own shock, he dropped the marble. It shattered on the ground, the green aura flaring out of it like smoke would out of a smoke bomb, then dissipated.

"Y-You..." Valentino couldn't get the rest of the words out.

Krittle scrambled up from the ground, latching to Valentino's side in both fear but also to protect him from any advances by Lonnie. "Come on, we're getting out of here before they do shit to you."

"What?" Lonnie laughed awkwardly. "Is this some sort of weird joke that we're left out of?"

"It would be a good explanation," Mattie agreed. "After all, even Matt screamed and ran away from us just after seeing us. I don't think we're that scary, are we?"

"It's not what you look like," Krittle said. "It's what you did."

"What we did?" Mattie echoed.

"No, it is...what h-he did," Valentino corrected, raising a shaking arm as if to point at Lonnie accusingly, but not having the bravery to actually do it fully.

"What did I do?" Lonnie started getting a bit upset now. "All I've done since I died is walk around with her."

"Of course he wouldn't know what he did, he was still in limbo when he did it!" Krittle whisper-yelled. "Come on, Val, let's get the fuck outta here before they do weird ghostly shit to us."

"Why would we ever want to hurt anyone?" Lonnie asked.

"This is freaking me out..." Mattie said. She hid behind Lonnie, who shielded her.

"Explain what's going on," Lonnie demanded.

"You possessed me," Valentino blurted out.

"What?" Lonnie shook his head. "I don't even know how to do that!"

"You did it while you were dead," Krittle concluded. "Your intense emotions of hatred, they possessed him and...jeez, I can't believe you were that angry."

"What do you mean?" Lonnie shouted. "I know I was angry after the fight, but what did I supposedly do?"

"You killed her!" Valentino yelled.

"Huh?" Lonnie's expression went through several changes, from shock to anger to confusion to sadness.

"I don't remember..." Mattie shivered. "Why are they accusing you?"

"You possessed me just so you could kill her and pin it all on me," Valentino growled.

"Valentino, stop being stupid!" Krittle shouted. "He was dead, he didn't know what he was doing. It would've happened no matter who was in the room. Even if it was just Mattie, she would've killed herself anyway. He doesn't have some sort of vendetta against you. Stop thinking like that! I thought you said you were gonna change!"

"Be fucking patient with me!" Valentino screamed, the walls flashing different colors for a few moments. His eyes turned completely red-violet as he stared down at Krittle. "Do I not have a right to be upset? Why are you defending the enemy?!"

"I don't even know what's going on..." Lonnie muttered.

"Lon, let's just go," Mattie whispered.

"Nobody's going anywhere!" Valentino screamed. The entire hall turned blue, looking akin to the blue world that Valentino often found himself in. This time, however, everyone was trapped in it. Lonnie and Mattie found themselves unable to move, despite not being held down by anything. Krittle looked around in astonishment and fear, trying to figure out what was happening and wanting to run away.

Suddenly, Valentino pushed Krittle behind him. "Stay back," he demanded with clenched teeth, "and cover your ears."

Krittle wanted to ask why, but kept silent and obeyed anyway. She stayed behind Valentino and watched as Valentino straightened, closing his eyes for a moment, then leaned forward and opened his eyes again.

"Eb llahs I tnetsixenon ro, drow ym yb uoy nopu yal esruc siht yam reverof!" Valentino chanted. "Won od uoy yaw eht noitale dna ecaep wonk reven lliw uoy. Mrof ruoy detah uoy hcihw ni emit fo hsalf eht, etats tsap ruoy ot trever. Snehtaeh, dlrow larutan siht fo enogeb!"

The walls were already shaking and turning white as Valentino went through his speech. Once he finished it, everything flashed completely white, making it impossible to see for a few seconds. The hotel shook violently, surprisingly not shattering any lights. When they were able to see again, Lonnie and Mattie had completely disappeared. Krittle blinked a few times out of shock. Valentino leaned forward, resting his hands on his knees and breathing heavily. A few tears fell from his eyes and he coughed. It seemed like he couldn't control himself at all.

"What did you just do?" Krittle asked in alarm. "Are you alright?"

Valentino shook his head, turning his body so he could rest against the wall. He clenched his teeth, clearly in pain. He opened his eyes slightly, tears still falling from them. It wasn't out of sadness, but more of physical pain.

"What the hell happened to your eyes?" Krittle questioned. "They're all bloodshot, and that one looks like it's...cracked or something. Like an eggshell."

"I'm fine," Valentino choked out, taking in ragged breaths. "I'll be f-fine."

"We need to get you to a ghost more experienced with healing than I am..." Krittle muttered.

"Valentino!" a faraway voice called.

"Ugh, why now?" Valentino groaned. "Hold on a moment, let me get my shit together..."

"I don't think just rest will help this," Krittle argued. "I'm gonna try and heal you so you can at least stand up." She raised her arms to begin a healing spell.

Valentino's eyes widened. "Wait!" he said, stopping her. "At least block the others from seeing it, or distract them somehow."

"Why?" Krittle asked, narrowing her eyes. "You've gotten healed in front of them before."

"That one hid my body completely," Valentino pointed out. "You are not experienced enough to figure that out, especially for something just dealing with my head. Please, do something about them before they get here."

"Valentino! Krittle!" It was a different voice this time, but definitely close by.

"Go on!" Valentino pushed Krittle towards the voices, then held his head in pain and seethed. Krittle ran off down the hall. Valentino looked over at her, then looked down at his outstretched hands.

_What did I do?_ he thought to himself. _I have never done anything like that before. I was just so angry, and suddenly I was saying things I did not even understand... What is wrong with me?_

Valentino clenched his hands into fists, sighing. He clutched at his sweater, feeling sick to his stomach. He thought for a few more moments about what had just transpired. Suddenly, a realization came to his head.

_I am scared of myself._

Meanwhile, Krittle peeked around a corridor to see Edd, Tom, Matt, and Tord running straight towards her. She put her finger to the corner, making a little line run across it and down to the floor. It laid in front of Edd's path, making him trip and fall face-first to the floor. The others immediately stopped to check if he was okay. As they helped him back up, Krittle looked behind them at the empty span of hallway. She glared, making a large shockwave reverberate throughout the hall. It surprised the four boys, making them turn around and stare at the spot where Krittle had made it appear. Now, Krittle had her chance. She stepped back and moved her hands to the ground, then raised them up quickly. The floor that led into her part of the hall raised up and became a wall, blocking the others from getting to where she and Valentino were. She brushed her hands off on her dress and headed back to where Valentino was brooding.

"Alright, they're blocked off for now," Krittle announced. "Now let me see your face so I can try and help."

As Valentino raised his head, he asked, "Why are you suddenly helping me?"

"Because even if I dislike you, I probably shouldn't be a complete dick," Krittle answered. "Plus, you're making an effort to change, aren't you? I should at least give you credit for that." She tilted her head. "Get up on one knee, will you? Act like you're about to be knighted by a queen."

Valentino raised an eyebrow skeptically, but got into position anyway. He even bowed his head and raised one arm across his chest respectfully.

"Show-off," Krittle scoffed under her breath.

She stepped back and raised her hands despite her internal laughter at Valentino's constant need to overdo things. A dark bluish-green glow lit up her hands. She put one foot forward and moved her hands to be level with Valentino's head. The glow got stronger as she closed her eyes and imagined sewing together the tears in the tissue of Valentino's mind. She let out a breath, relaxing to try and calm the inflamed blood cells in his eyes and deter him from the pain. She opened her eyes slightly to make sure she wasn't doing any damage to him. He seemed okay, except for the fact that he was glowing under her aura and that scars were appearing along his hands. She glared at the scars, wondering why they were there.

Well, she knew why they were there in some sense of the word. Valentino had either cut himself there or it was from the abuse he had suffered. However, her main concern was that it was appearing while she was trying to heal him. Granted, the most healing she had done was fixing Victoria's cracks or teddy bears that had gotten torn, but she wasn't expecting previous wounds to be able to be seen during the healing process. Perhaps that was why he didn't want to be seen by the others?

Her other problem was that Valentino always challenged her to look into his memories, but there was a metaphorical wall around a lot of them, so that she couldn't get to them without wasting a lot of energy. She wondered if those were the ones Valentino repressed, or perhaps they were the ones he thought about the most and didn't want anyone else knowing. What concerned her the most was that there was a hole in the middle of his memories. It was only the duration of a night, but it left several unanswered questions considering the memories for the days afterwards. She could see little slivers of the pieces that were trying to be put back together, but she couldn't tell what was going on in them. It all looked more like a dream than something he could actually experience.

"Ow, ow, ow!" Valentino suddenly yelped. "What are you trying to do, melt my eyes out of my skull?!" 

"Sorry, sorry!" Krittle immediately stopped the healing process. "I'm not very good at this. I get distracted too easily."

"I can see," Valentino grumbled, sitting up and pushing the soles of his feet together. "Why did I have to be in that pose?"

"Just so I could see you off your high horse and respecting me for once," Krittle said.

Valentino's eyelids drooped in annoyance. "Puta," he muttered.

"Jeez, you could at least thank me for healing you," Krittle scoffed. "Or do I have to mess you up again?"

"I can easily break all the bones in your body and leave you as a pile of skin and muscle," Valentino threatened in such a nonchalant tone that it was easy to imagine the situation as being over coffee at breakfast.

"Hey, are you guys okay?!" Tom's voice reached their ears. Krittle turned to see the four running towards them, though slowing down now. They must've found an alternate route to them, just in time.

"Yes, we are fine," Valentino answered, standing up so as to seem like there was nothing wrong. He put on a large smile, clasping his hands together.

"Do you know what happened?" Edd asked. "The whole hotel shook."

"I do recall the hotel shaking, but I do not know the source power," Valentino lied. "It was probably just some ghost...thing. Let us move on, shall we?"

"Are you sure we can just move on so casually?" Tord inquired, feeling a bit suspicious.

"I am surprised you moved on so casually from those lost ninety gigabytes of, ahem..." Valentino cleared his throat, " _hentai_ that you adored so much."

Tord gaped, his face heating up from embarrassment. Krittle covered her mouth with both hands to keep from bursting out into laughter. Tom, however, did not show any shame whatsoever in making Tord feel even worse. Edd and Matt merely stared at each other and at Tord, though it was apparent they were struggling to keep in their own laughter. Valentino chuckled and turned, leading the group away.

"That was the best thing you have ever said," Krittle said, still snorting from laughter. "How did you even know that?"

Valentino smirked. "He is like an open book."

Tord merely covered his face with one hand to hide his embarrassment. Everyone else was still smiling - well, except for Matt. He was growing concerned at Valentino's behavior. Of course he was happy that Valentino was having fun, but he definitely seemed off. After all, he completely shot down Tord's suggestion with something that he should have no business knowing about. Not to mention that he seemed almost pained. Matt frowned, moving quickly so he could catch up to Valentino and walk in stride next to him.

"Valentino," Matt's voice was hushed to avoid drawing attention to this, "is something wrong?"

Valentino looked at him funny. "Whatever do you mean? I am fine."

"You don't...seem fine," Matt replied honestly.

"Well, you said you wanted me to be happier, yes?" Valentino smiled. "I am being happy for you."

"Being or faking?" Matt retorted.

Valentino sighed, his face turning sour. "Why does it matter?" 

"Because bottling it all up won't change anything," Matt responded. "It's just going to make things worse."

"What if I do not want to talk about it?" Valentino snapped.

"You don't have to talk about what's making you upset," Matt assured. "You just have to be honest about your feelings - not just to us, but to yourself as well."

Valentino mulled it over in his head for a few moments. Matt, thinking Valentino wasn't going to answer him, sighed and slowed down so he was back behind Valentino. However, Valentino started slowing down as well. Everyone kept up their regular pace until they noticed Valentino wasn't present in the group anymore, then looked behind them to see him standing in the middle of the hall, his arms crossed as if he were cold.

"Hey, don't start going into your little fantasy world again," Krittle warned, walking over to him and getting ready to pinch him.

"I am still in reality," Valentino told her to ward her off. She nodded and stepped back.

Matt walked over to Valentino with determined eyes. He gave him an encouraging smile. The others stood back, unsure of what to do and not wanting to crowd him.

"I am...afraid," Valentino admitted.

"Could you explain why?" Matt asked.

Valentino gave a slight nod. "I am afraid of myself."

"You mean, you're afraid of what you're capable of," Krittle suggested.

Valentino nodded. "I have done so many horrible things and it makes me unable to trust myself anymore, especially with my disassociations making my actions unpredictable. And I have such an explosive temper, and it feels like all I do is hurt everyone, and I don't want to end up hurting you, and I want to stop hurting me."

Matt grabbed Valentino's shoulders. "Like I said earlier, we're going to help you. We're going to make it so that you don't have to suffer so much, but you need to pitch in and help too. You just need to learn to have a little more self-control. That way, you won't get caught in the loop of impulsive behaviors. And even if you do end up still doing them sometimes, that's okay."

"Yeah, we're human," Tom added, "and humans make mistakes."

Matt grinned to show his agreement.

"Yeah," Valentino muttered, giving a weak smile. He looked down at his hands. "Human."

Matt smiled wider, patting Valentino's shoulders and then stepping away.

"Hey, I've got an idea," Krittle said. "Let's get our mind off of things. Val, why don't you show off a bit?"

"Show off?" Valentino echoed, confused.

"Yeah!" Krittle's eyes shone. "Like do badass fighting stuff, or play your instruments, or make fun of Tord more."

"I vote not for the last one," Tord chimed in.

"I do not take pride in hurting others," Valentino agreed.

"Aww, boo!" Krittle stomped her foot. "Can you at least be badass?"

"Since when was this softie able to fight?" Tom snorted.

"I-I am not soft!" Valentino exclaimed, indignant as his face turned red. He thought for a moment if Tom was making a jab at his weight as well, but decided not to think about it.

"Hey, did someone lose their Spanish cousin?" Matt announced. "He looks a bit like a softie!" He winked, making Valentino gasp as he realized that Matt was getting revenge.

"Oh, you-!!" Valentino couldn't even say anything, he was blushing too hard.

"That's what you get for calling me a twink!" Matt shouted.

" _He_ called _you_ a twink?" Edd seemed surprised as he stifled a laugh.

"The real twink here is Tom," Tord said.

"Uhh, you're one to talk," Tom retorted.

"I have more muscle mass than you," Tord replied.

"Not just _muscle mass_ ," Tom snorted.

"What the hell's that supposed to mean?!" Tord exclaimed.

Everyone else laughed through the entire situation, happy to have some lighthearted moments. Krittle especially found the stupid rivalry between Tord and Tom hilarious.

"So what's this apparent badass stuff you can do, Tino?" Tom finally inquired.

Valentino blinked a few times, as he was not used to Tom calling him by a nickname. However, he shook it off and answered, "Well, you have already seen me climb up walls, though that was mostly because I was afraid..."

"I want to see all those weird ballerina moves you did," Krittle chimed in.

"Well, I think I would have to be in a serious fight to replicate that," Valentino responded.

"I can fight you!" Krittle shouted.

"Please, all you would be able to bust is my kneecaps," Valentino laughed.

"I'm at the perfect height to rip your balls off," Krittle challenged.

"Eh, it is not like they work anyway." Valentino shrugged. He suddenly realized what he just admitted. As a result, he completely froze and his face turned so red that the others were afraid he would get a nosebleed from all the blood rushing to his face.

"Damn, that's harsh man," Tord remarked.

"W-Well, I do not mean it as- it is not that I can't, y'know..." Valentino pushed his two fists together as if that meant anything. "It is just, w-well, if I were to...if I ever did...that, um, then I could not, you know...?"

Obviously his meaning was lost on everyone.

"Ehhhhh..." Valentino just stared at them until they could figure out what the hell he was trying to say.

"That's kinda surprising," Tom commented, despite still not knowing what Valentino had tried to say. "I mean, Mexicans are supposed to breed like rabbits."

His joke only made the hall even quieter.

"Uh, I was kidding!" Tom tried to backtrack. "I mean, I didn't mean it, just trying to lighten the mood, y'know-"

"How dare you insult my people!" Valentino let out a war cry and ran straight for Tom, who screamed as he was smacked by the brunet, albeit softly and playfully. They laughed despite themselves.

"So how come you're okay with horribly racist jokes but me pronouncing piñata wrong gets me thrown to the lions?" Matt pouted in mock offense.

"Because even if it is stereotypical as fuck," Valentino replied, "I still find it hilarious and especially true for my own family. Pronouncing a very easy word incredibly incorrectly is just stupid."

Matt crossed his arms and stuck his tongue out at Valentino as a comeback.

"Practicing for your blowjobs later?" Tord asked Matt.

Just like when Valentino made a joke implying Matt was in love with him, everyone screamed "What?!" in response. Tord burst out into laughter. Valentino stared awkwardly at the ground, silently begging for the topic to be dropped.

"Okay, this has been way too long of a wait," Krittle cut in. "Come on, Val, show us your skills!"

"The most skill I have is balance and flexibility," Valentino replied bashfully.

"Does that mean you can put your leg over your head?" Matt questioned.

"I think the most important question is if you can suck your own-" Tord tried to say before being elbowed by Edd so hard he nearly fell over. Edd glared at him, but broke into snorting laughter for a few moments at Tord's clumsiness.

"Well, I cannot say I have ever tried..." Valentino answered quietly, unsure of whether they would believe him.

"I bet Matt has," Krittle joked. "I think the only person he could ever love is himself."

"Hey, self-love is important!" Matt retorted.

"So you admit that if you could, you'd fuck your clone's brains out," Tord replied.

"You're disgusting," was all Matt could say in response.

"You're not denying it," Edd pointed out.

As they had done many times before, the group laughed as Matt's face turned red and he frowned, however he still chuckled at their weirdly close friendship. Even Valentino snorted at the jokes they had going on.

"Alright, I really need to get back to patrolling the hotel," Krittle began.

"Wait." Valentino smiled. "I can show you at least one cool thing before you leave."

Krittle squealed and immediately got comfortable on the ground so she could watch closely. Valentino shook his head in loving exasperation.

"You may want to stand back," Valentino warned as he walked backwards to a good point. Edd, Tom, Matt, and Tord stood as close to the wall as they could. Valentino nodded to assure them that was okay, then took a deep breath. He then shot forward, taking off down the hall. The other's clothes were whipped around by the wind brought on by his speed. They gasped as they thought he was going to run into a wall...

When in reality, he ran straight up it. By all laws of gravity and physics, he should not have been able to accomplish this. To top it all off, he ran right onto the ceiling. However he only took one step onto it before jumping off, twirling in mid-air, and landing perfectly on the ground. The others stared at him in awe for a few seconds. Tom broke the silence by cheering. The others joined in, clapping and congratulating him. Valentino bowed, if only to hide how red his face was and try to take their reactions humbly.

"Not what I was expecting," Krittle admitted, "but that was still damn cool."

Valentino chuckled. "At least you were able to see it."

"You better show off something even cooler next time I travel with you," Krittle called as she started walking away.

"Don't hold your breath," Valentino told her. He waved goodbye to her anyhow, as did the others.

"So what are we gonna do now?" Edd questioned.

"Each other," Valentino deadpanned. However, he immediately cracked and burst into snorting laughter.

"Not if Tom's involved in it," Tord said at the same time that Tom remarked, "Not if Tord's involved in it."

Edd merely replied, "Uh, I'll pass."

Their reactions only made Valentino laugh harder. Eventually the whole group was laughing along with him. Now, Valentino finally felt some sense of change. He finally found the crowd of people who would not only love him unconditionally, but help him improve himself. He finally found a sense of peace and hope for his and other people's futures, so that maybe they could start feeling less helpless. He finally found his reason to keep on living, his reason to love, his reason to improve himself.

He finally found happiness.


	34. Scattered

"All we've done this entire time is die and go exploring," Tord complained.

"Sounds like a certain video game," Tom chimed in.

Valentino chuckled at Tord's words, having no idea what Tom was alluding to. "Perhaps we might meet someone new," he remarked. "There is always the Petaled, the Time Rifters, the rest of the Doll-Faced crew, the Twelve, which is rather an unfitting name for them considering there are twenty-four of them-"

"How many of these creatures do you know?!" Matt exclaimed.

"Very many," Valentino answered. "Maybe even all of them. I do not know exactly."

"There must be a lot of people who died here," Edd commented, looking a bit frightened.

"Great for advertising," Valentino joked. There were a few forced chuckles from Tord and Tom, who promptly glared at each other for enjoying the same kind of humor. Valentino chose to ignore the sinking feeling of his self-esteem dropping to his gut.

"So just for clarification..." Tord looked at Valentino. "All ghosts share the same powers, right?"

Valentino froze for a second, uncomfortable with the change of topic, but felt as if he didn't answer then he would seem suspicious. "It depends," he said quickly. "If they are cursed, they may not have access to certain powers. It also takes practice to learn how to use certain powers, so some ghosts may know more than others. But these are only outside factors, so in short, all ghosts have the same powers when they first start out. They just need to learn how to use them."

"Interesting," Tord replied. He was silent for a few moments, before asking, "How do you tell if someone's a ghost?"

Valentino laughed nervously. "W-Well, the list is very long, and too much for me to remember...I think all the powers we have talked about that ghosts have should give you a clue. N-Not to mention, you are reading the books, yes? I think it would be rather obvious."

Tord frowned for a moment, but accepted the answer anyway. A lot of cogs were turning in his brain, trying to figure out more and more about not only the hotel, but about Valentino and his brothers. Judging by their behavior over the time that they had met them, he just felt that something was off, something they weren't telling them. He wanted to figure that out first, before anything happened to him and his friends. Then he could try to figure out the secrets about the hotel.

The five of them continued walking in stride, staring at the bland and empty halls around them. Edd rubbed his temples, getting a bit of a headache from staring at the same walls each and every day.

"How long have we been here?" Edd suddenly questioned.

"Nearly two weeks," Valentino responded immediately. "It is already the twenty-eighth, nearing the twenty-ninth. Hehe, that will make just seven months since my birthday. And then just a few more weeks until..." He stopped himself there.

"How have the days gone by so fast?" Edd commented, biting his nails in worry.

"Well, illusion deaths take time to recover from," Valentino said. "After all, you were asleep for about a day or so after the last one."

"A day?!" Matt exclaimed.

Valentino nodded. "Every other time you were woken up before you were ready, resulting in the awful pain and other side effects. This time, you were given all the time you need."

"You're saying time a lot," Tord commented, as if that meant Valentino was acting suspiciously.

"Time is merely an illusion," Valentino retorted. "It is a concept made up by humans to keep track of things. Days are not a thing that exist naturally. It is merely the rotation of our planet's axis, and years are the rotation of our planet around the sun. That is why time zones exist, or daylight savings time, and why other planets have varying hours in a day and days in a year. It is just something we made up because we want some way to explain everything. How do we even know it is actually 10:57 PM on Wednesday, the twenty-eighth of January, in the year twenty fifteen? The Earth has been around for billions of years. When did we even begin this concept? Why does it exist? Why do we make calendars, why do we have holidays on certain days that do not even matter in the whole scheme of things, why do we count things, why do we name things? Who even came up with this shit? Humans are extremely complex, so much so we confuse ourselves with our own antics!"

"You're hurting my tiny brain..." Edd complained.

"Not as tiny as Tom's-" Tord tried to say, before Tom cut him off by putting his hand on his shoulder with a soft, "Don't." Tord merely smacked Tom's hand away in response.

"Ow!" Tom complained.

"You deserved it," Tord said.

"You're acting like a child," Tom replied.

"So are you," Tord retorted. "I didn't even smack you that hard and you still whined about it like a baby."

"Please stop arguing," Matt begged in a hushed and whimpering voice. Valentino promptly noticed the fear in his tone. He uncrossed his arms and spread them to either side with his palms forward.

"I didn't whine!" Tom argued, not hearing Matt. "You were the one who was whining!"

"Peace, you two!" Valentino demanded. He swiftly closed his hands, causing the two bickering boys to instantly relax. They looked at each other, suddenly lost as to why they were even fighting. Matt shot Valentino a grateful glance.

The hallway was silent for a few moments. Valentino, alone in his mind with his thoughts of time, suddenly realized something important he had neglected to do. While the others were occupied with walking, he stopped and gently knocked his hand against the wall. He slipped into the room that appeared. The others continued walking, completely oblivious to his disappearance.

It's not like they didn't notice. They knew something was missing, but something in their minds was telling them not to worry, blocking off the memory of Valentino ever being there with the group. Matt listened to it, as did Edd despite some paranoia, but Tord and Tom were too weirded out by the sudden thoughts to wave it off so easily. When the blockage dissipated for a split second, Tord was the first one to catch on.

"Where did Valentino go?" Tord inquired.

Tom snapped his fingers. "I knew something was missing here!"

"What are you talking about?" Edd asked, thoroughly confused.

"What?" Tord was even more confused. "Valentino was just here."

"He was never with us, though..." Edd didn't seem too convinced.

"Edd, are you losing your mind?" Tord was getting a little upset.

"Matt, you remember, right?" Tom asked.

"Uh..." Matt didn't make direct eye contact. "I feel like I should."

"Something is up with that kid," Tord remarked. "He's doing something to our minds, or working with someone who can do that. Haven't you noticed how suspicious he is? I mean, I still trust him, but there's something he's not telling us."

Suddenly, a pair of arms wrapped around Tord's neck, making him freeze in place.

"You know," a familiar voice whispered behind him, hot breath going down his neck and sending chills up his spine, "it is rather rude to talk about someone who is listening."

Tord screamed and threw the person off of him. Laughter came from behind them. Tord turned to see it was Valentino, completely calm about the situation.

"I wish I could have recorded that scream," he remarked. Tord smiled awkwardly, still very uneasy. Tom was also a bit uneasy, as he noticed something strange. Valentino seemed to be the same height as him, while Tord was the second tallest of the group by quite a bit. Considering he was so much taller and didn't slouch as he walked...how was Valentino able to be tall enough to wrap his arms around Tord's neck?

"Okay," Tord moved his arm behind Valentino and pushed him along, "I don't trust you being behind me anymore. Where were you, anyway?"

"What do you mean?" Valentino lied. "I never left."

"You can't have been just slinking behind us this whole time," Tom pointed out.

Valentino smirked. "Maybe I was."

A shiver ran up both Tom and Tord's spines. They started doubting their own sense of logic. However, they soon remembered that this hotel didn't run on logic. It ran on supernatural bullshit. Matt and Edd were glad to see Valentino, now remembering that Valentino had been with them but still confused as to whether he left or not.

"How are we supposed to explore around here if there aren't any doors?" Tom muttered to himself.

"There are doors," Valentino replied. "You just cannot see them. It is not like it matters anyhow; the rooms are full of traps."

"How would you know?" Tord challenged.

Valentino shrugged. "I suppose because I am Latino, which means I have cool powers."

"I have cool powers too," Tord grumbled.

"Yes, the Norwegian powers of being so whiny you deafen those around you," Valentino retorted. Tom stifled his laughter as Tord made an exasperated face.

"Do ginger people have powers?" Matt asked.

Valentino snickered to himself. "They have the powers of being twinks," he responded.

"I regret every decision I've ever made in life leading up to this moment," Matt whined.

"You don't regret killing my pineapple father," Tom shot back.

Valentino was about to cry out in alarm before Matt yelled, "That was for our stupid movie when we were kids!"

"Those were good times," Tom remarked. "Back before I had any kind of responsibility."

"Back before I had to worry about my stepdad," Matt added.

"Back before I had to think about popularity," Edd said.

"Back before I was super impressionable," Tord chimed in.

Valentino, thinking he had to add something, murmured, "Back before I had to learn how to take care of myself."

All of them sighed almost dreamily. It seemed they all had a collective moment where they understood each other silently. They all missed childhood, but they would never want to live through their lives again. Valentino suddenly perked up, noticing a slight shift in the air. A surge of joy ran through him.

"A door is around here somewhere," he announced almost to himself. "Someone is close by...!" He seemed rather excited about whoever it was. He ran ahead of the group, leading them all to a room that they would never have suspected would have been any more special than the others. After all, the room seemed entirely empty and devoid of life. It had shelves and rafters all near the ceiling. All of them except for Valentino wondered what they were for.

"Lio!" Valentino called. "Are you there?"

A voice seemingly near the ceiling asked, "What's the password?"

Valentino chuckled before replying, "Xylophone, except spelled with a z."

"It really is you!" A body leapt down from the rafters, floating in front of Valentino's face and grabbing his cheeks. He kicked his legs up as he did so, showing off torn black tights and a matching black skirt with a strange pattern of white lines on it. "I haven't seen you in exactly thirteen days, four hours, twenty-seven minutes, and thirty-two...thirty-three...thirty-four..."

Valentino let him count until he got to exactly thirty-six seconds. He then beamed down at Valentino, who smiled back.

"Oh, I've lost all sense of my manners!" The stranger dropped down to his feet and looked over at Edd, Tom, Matt, and Tord. They noticed his dark hair covered his right eye. "You have humans! What a joyous day!"

Valentino chuckled, nodding. "These four are Edd, Tom, Matt, and Tord." He gestured to them respectively as they nodded and waved.

"I'm Elliott!" the ghost introduced. "You can call me Eli or Lio, though. Oh it's so nice to meet you! I love humans, you don't even know."

"So you're a...?" Matt sounded confused, asking for clarification on his gender.

"A ghost," Elliott deadpanned.

Matt merely blinked. 

Elliott burst into laughter before adding, "Okay that was a joke. I'm not really a boy or a girl, but I like being called male things and wearing female things. I know, it's weird as heck, ain't it?! If you get confused I don't mind if you just call me an it. Honestly that's probably a compliment!"

"You're very...pure for someone who wears all black," Tord stated bluntly.

Elliott gasped, putting a hand to his chest dramatically and revealing his rather long and sharp fingernails. "Well I would never betray my lord by using H E double hockey sticks! That would just be offensive."

"You're a real stereotype battler," Tom commented.

Elliott was confused for a second, before bursting out into more laughter. Between choking gasps for breath, he said, "Y-You think I'm...you probably think I'm a Christian! Oh boy, is that a joke or what?!" He laughed a few more times before continuing in a serious tone, "I was killed by a Christian, actually. They tore my eye out and ripped open my stomach just for worshipping dear old Lucy."

The four of them stared wide-eyed at Elliott, who promptly laughed again.

"They always fall for that one!" he shouted. "Really, I died in one of my rituals here." He moved his hair aside to show that his right eye was completely red, with a tiny pentagram symbol inside of it. He moved his hair back before continuing, "I have a scar from the stomach ripping thing too, but you don't wanna see that one. It's nasty."

"How do you get to be so open about everything, Lio?" Valentino inquired.

"Because I just don't care," Elliott replied. "S'not like people are gonna really get attached to a dead devil-worshipper. So I just be myself and go on through the afterlife without a care for what people think of me. Except for you, of course!"

"D'aww, you're just sayin' that," Valentino responded, making an "oh, you" motion with his hand.

"Nooo, I'm not!" Elliott ran over and grabbed Valentino's hands, bouncing up and down. "Let's hear about ya! Tell me, what sort of adventures have you gone on? What do the humans think of the place? Will they be joining soon? Are you still giving them that silly false hope? Come on, even Lucy says it's ridiculous to get outta here!"

"I have not listened to any religion since my father died, so..." Valentino felt that would be a fitting answer.

"Oh, whoopsies!" Elliott danced away. "I have a bad memory! How embarrassing! Let me just rip open my stomach again so I can start all over-"

"Elliott." Valentino was stern as he walked over and held onto Elliott's arm tightly. "Please. You're scaring them."

The two looked over to notice the four's horrified faces.

"Oh." Elliott seemed completely oblivious to that fact. "Sorry."

Valentino nodded and stepped away, making himself comfortable on the ground and pushing his soles together. He waited for the others to continue chatting.

"Hey, can you show us any cool ghost tricks?" Matt was quick to recover.

A bit of panic rose up in Valentino's chest before he realized that Matt was speaking to Elliott. However, this didn't ease his anxiety completely.

"Well, Val isn't very fond of the whole ghost speak, but..." Elliott looked over to Valentino.

"I-It is alright," Valentino stammered despite his anxiousness. "Go on."

"Okay!" Elliott completely disregarded Valentino's hesitation in favor of him getting to show off. "Well, there's lots of cool things we can do. I mean, I made this whole stupid appearance myself!"

"You're not cursed?" Tord seemed surprised.

"Nope!" Elliott shook his head. "I just wanna look cool and own my death. Now, let's see..." Elliott tapped his chin. "Oh! Ghosts don't obey any law of physics!" Elliott floated around, spinning in the air. He then turned himself upside-down, floated up, and landed on the ceiling. He walked around up there for a few seconds before floating back down, turning himself like a pretzel to get back right-side up.

"And also, you know that we're made of water vapor, right?" Elliott smiled. "That means we can shapeshift! So I can give myself devil horns-" he snapped his fingers to do so, then removed them- "or I can have thirteen fingers!" He held up his hands, producing two extra fingers on one hand and a single extra on the other. He waved his hands to make them turn back to normal. "And then I can turn into other things, too."

Elliott jumped up and spun around. When he landed again, he had turned into a dog. He gave a little dog smile, flopping down and rolling over.

"And when we're in these forms, you can actually use your mirror to dispel the illusion," he said. "Go on, try it!"

Matt nodded and pulled out his mirror, pointing it at Elliott. The mirror's colors changed before showing an image of Elliott in his regular form lying on the floor. He touched the mirror's surface, turning it a deep red, then pointed that side at Elliott. A bunch of lines formed underneath Elliott's body, creating a pentagram. The corners of it burst into lines of smoke, completely enveloping Elliott. When the smoke and pentagram disappeared, Elliott stretched out on the ground.

"I forgot how much that hurts sometimes," Elliott groaned.

"Sorry!" Matt felt guilty as he put his mirror away.

"How can ghosts feel pain?" Tom murmured.

"It's kinda complicated," Elliott began, still on the ground. "Even though our bodies are made of water vapor, they're still just as complex as the human body. We may not have cells or pain receptors anymore, but we're completely made of condensed molecules and light and all that. Having all those molecules ripped apart, as is what happens when we're attacked or forced back into our natural form, definitely isn't fun to go through. It can also cause some disastrous consequences, like our energy bursting out of us and going everywhere and probably hurting people."

"So we can't touch ghosts while they're sleeping and we probably shouldn't try to attack them either," Tom noted. "What else?"

"Don't give us intense emotions," Elliott instructed. "Just as emotions can have disastrous consequences on humans, they can do the same to ghosts. Except since we have powers, emotions usually get physical in the sense that our energy goes out of control and wreaks havoc on the world in the form of illusions, bursts of light, or other nasty things that can hurt both humans and ghosts. Usually humans, though."

"Yikes," Edd replied.

"But ghosts can help humans, too!" Elliott beamed. "We have healing powers, and we can also give humans a sense of tranquility and peace of mind if we're really good at healing. I think we can cure just about anything, except for maybe death. It's difficult to get the hang of, though."

"Do ghosts usually interact with humans?" Tom asked.

"Well, obviously it depends on the personality," Elliott explained. "Some ghosts have a playful nature and like taunting humans or scaring them in photos. After all, technology and mirrors are the only thing that can reveal our illusions or make us appear visible when we're invisible in real life. Other ghosts like plotting revenge, which brings up the term poltergeists and such. However, not all poltergeists are bad and not all playful ghosts are good. Sometimes we all can go overboard. I think there are certainly a lot of ghosts who refuse to interact with humans at all. After all, we have so many powers and the ability to show paranormal activity and make it to the headlines with the snap of a finger. No ghost really wants a human to know about that, otherwise they might get power-hungry. That's why most haunted places aren't really known or are abandoned, because ghosts don't want to see humans. They just want to get away."

"That's pretty interesting," Edd replied. "I always thought that worn-down buildings had to have ghosts just because of the logic that they're old and old means...well, dead."

Elliott laughed. "Nice correlation. But nah, it's just that ghosts have an instinct to be alone, unless maybe they have regrets or miss family."

"Are all ghosts like...teenagers or young adults?" Tord inquired.

Elliott laughed. "No, but most ghosts you see are because this is a haunted place. It doesn't really attract little kids or elderly people. However, the thing about ghosts is that they have permanent form either dependent on their age or the subconscious decision to be in their prime or not. Usually elderly people who have regrets will have a younger ghost, but those who were happy with their lives will look the same as they did when they died. It doesn't really affect their powers or anything. And yes, babies and toddlers who died will still be ghost babies and toddlers. I think those deaths have to be outside of the womb to count, though, since they actually had a sliver of a living life before being cut out from it."

"That's...kinda sad," Tord remarked.

"Yeah, definitely." Elliott looked troubled. "But what isn't sad is that ghosts can do so much more stuff! We can even use our powers to help or hinder other ghosts. For example, we can use healing powers on ghosts, but we can possess them also. I don't really understand how it works, but it does. Oh, and ghosts can make so many cool illusions! We can make objects out of nothing, change what a room looks like, move around the layout of a house, and so much more!"

Tord suddenly gasped as he had an epiphany. "Is that how the hotel changes shape?"

"Exactly!" Elliott jumped for joy. "If I had chocolate, I would totally give you a life supply of it! And an afterlife supply!"

"So that means the mastermind has to be a ghost," Tord murmured. "Still nowhere closer to figuring this out."

"Yeah, figuring out this whole hotel secret ain't gonna be easy, buddy." Elliott formed a chair and sat in it backwards, his arms resting on the back of it. "They don't want you to know anything 'til you're dead. The way they explain is that humans are stubborn and can rebel easily, and even if they don't have powers, they can definitely tell others about what's going on. So if they remain ignorant until they're dead, then they feel powerless. Plus, they can put a little negative bubble in the ghost's head and keep it there so they never want to rebel. It seems a little backwards to me, but that's how it works. I shouldn't even be talking about it, though. Otherwise I'm in very big trouble."

"So you're all just slaves to the real mastermind?" Edd questioned.

Elliott nodded. "Only one of us has ever tried to rebel, but..." Elliott glanced over at Valentino, who was still pushing his soles together. "It ended in rather...torturous consequences," he finished.

"Damn," Tord cursed. "Ghosts really are similar to humans, at least in the mob mentality and rushing to hurt others for every wrong."

"We're just humans with more power, I'm afraid," Elliott responded. "We can do so much worse than humans and get away with it all. We can survive through most things fatal for humans. Even intense heat, cold, or miles of water won't hurt us. Heck, if we find ourselves in a tricky situation, we can just teleport out of there. But the minute we're losing energy, or we're stripped of our powers by an outside force...we're nothing."

The room went silent for a few moments. Elliott rested his head on the chair. Valentino pushed on the ground, watching the muscles in his hands twitch with every action. The others stood around, finding the silence a bit uncomfortable and overwhelming.

"This conversation got way too deep for my liking," Edd remarked.

"Let's do something fun instead!" Elliott jumped up and kicked over the chair, making it disappear. "Valentino, wanna join in?"

"What exactly are we doing?" Valentino inquired, not lifting his head.

"This!" Elliott swiftly turned towards the wall and spread his arms out wide. A big blast of energy was hurled to the wall, splattering a dark red across it. A door also appeared on the wall. Elliott squealed in glee and ran through the door. The others stared at it for a moment, before another door appeared on the ceiling and Elliott fell through it, landing on the ground safely. He moved his hands so that all changes he had just made to the room dissipated.

Edd, Tom, Matt, and Tord were quite awed by the performance. They had never really been exposed to true ghost power right in front of them.

"Oh, oh, oh!" Elliott bounced around. "Take a look at this!" He suddenly grabbed his skirt and whipped it off, throwing it across the room and revealing the white lines on it to be a pentagram. Thankfully for everyone in the room (and his dignity), he was wearing a pair of shorts underneath the skirt.

"Isn't that sweet?" Elliott giggled. "I use it for summoning so I don't have to make an actual pentagram out of blood and light all those candles. Still have to do the weird chants, though. Wanna see?"

"That is really not necessary for them to witness," Valentino cut in.

"Ugh, fine," Elliott scoffed as he walked over and put the skirt back on. "Valentino, how about you go next?"

The brunet slowly stood up, looking bored. "I do not think I have quite the awe-inspiring powers that you do."

"You should show them the vein thing!" Elliott ran over and held up Valentino's arm. "Come on, it's so cool!"

"Elliott," Valentino warned through clenched teeth.

"Ooh, right." Elliott dropped Valentino's hand and stepped back. "What other things are there?"

"Well..." Valentino searched in his mind a bit. "I do have some good flexibility and balance most of the time...and I can play instruments...and make decent art...I guess dancing works...are weird finger tricks considered cool?"

"What, like fingering?" Tord immediately asked.

Valentino's face turned red. "A-Ah...m-maybe not that one?"

"Come on, you can do better than that!" Elliott continued. "Finger tricks just depend on luck, honestly. Do your weird flexible things! Haven't you turned into a pretzel before?"

"That is not my kind of flexibility..." Valentino seemed very uncomfortable to be talking about this. "Please, I do not think I want any attention-"

"You're being so boring!" Elliott cut in. He suddenly grabbed Valentino's wrists, holding up his arms and dancing him around. "You can do stuff like this! Show off a bit!"

"Stop it!" Valentino shouted, using as much force as he had to push Elliott forward, making him let go and stagger a bit on his feet. He looked up, confused and hurt. Valentino stared back, suddenly feeling a bit guilty.

"I'm sorry, I just..." Valentino averted his gaze. "I just need to go. Come on, you four." He pushed past Edd, Tom, Matt, and Tord to get to the door, opening it and stepping outside without even waiting for them. They looked at each other with confused stares, then looked over to Elliott, who seemed guilty. He gave a solemn wave of goodbye as the four turned and left the room.

When they got outside, they found Valentino standing a few feet away, looking as if he was trying to catch his breath. They made their way over to him to figure out what was going on. He was clenching his teeth and his eyes were shut tight, as if he was trying to keep something away.

"You okay?" Tom asked.

Valentino shook his head, pushing his hands to his temples. "They're starting, they're starting, how do I stop it?" he said.

The four of them were considerably confused as to what he was talking about. Matt put a hand on his shoulder away to try and comfort him, but Valentino shrugged it off.

"No, no," he repeated, moving his hands down to cover his eyes now. "Too much, too much."

Matt had a small moment of realization and immediately stepped back. The others, thinking Matt had an idea, also took a few steps backwards.

"Do you know what's going on?" Tord whispered to him.

"Not really," Matt whispered back. "I just know he doesn't want to be touched right now, so maybe he needs some space."

"Just a moment, yes," Valentino called, having now moved his hands to rest against the wall. "I will be fine, just too much feelings, too many thoughts, need space, need space." He mumbled a few more things, but they couldn't make out much other than something along the lines of cloth feeling weird. Finally he took a deep breath, then let it out in a relaxing, "Okay." He stepped away from the wall, having regained a sense of composure.

"What happened there?" Edd asked.

"The beginnings of dissociation and some other term I do not remember," Valentino explained. "I was under too much pressure from Elliott and the room started getting all weird, then he grabbed my wrists even though he knows it gives me bad memories and also hurts my stupid scars, and then everything just started feeling weird and I needed space. I am sorry if I caused any trouble."

"No, you're okay," Tom replied. "I think he was being a bit too hard on you as well."

"He goes too far sometimes," Valentino agreed. "He has good intentions, he is just rather forgetful."

"Which one of the creatures was he?" Tord questioned.

"He is one of the Time Rifters," Valentino answered. "In total there are ten of them. They are all able to manipulate time or space in some way. He uses those pentagrams to create illusions or summon otherworldly creatures."

"What can the others do?" Edd inquired.

"One can create dimensions, one has the ability to corrupt or destroy things around them, and one created that loop portal that almost put you four onto a neverending set of stairs," Valentino explained. "Speaking of which..." Valentino knocked on the wall, continued walking, then knocked on the wall again. He did this for every few feet they walked.

"What are you doing?" Tom asked.

"Knocking for him until I hear a knock back," Valentino responded.

"Why are we going to meet the freakshow that tried to put us in neverending torture?!" Tord exclaimed.

"He is not a freakshow," Valentino said calmly. "And he has no vendetta against you. He is merely forced to do these things." Suddenly, Valentino gasped. "There he is!" 

"I don't see any-" Tord cut himself off as Valentino stepped back and the part of the wall that he had knocked on suddenly rippled, becoming a door. He gleefully opened it and stepped inside, the others staying behind for a few moments out of pure shock. Soon after, they followed him in, seeing him already greeting the other person there. He seemed to have a thing for green, with a few accent colors of yellow and teal. Even his hair was an unnatural blue-green that had an iridescent shine. It looked like he was dressing up as a beetle.

"Ah, there they are!" Valentino looked up at the four. "Come on in, do not be scared."

Edd, Tom, Matt, and Tord took a few more steps into the room, watching the stranger carefully.

"Otto," Valentino addressed the other person, "these four are Edd, Tom, Matt, and Tord, the h-" Valentino suddenly stopped the word he was starting and thought for a moment. "...newcomers," he finished.

Otto merely nodded, silently asking for Valentino to continue.

"You four," Valentino turned to them, "this is Otto. He creates loop portals."

Otto smiled at them and waved. They waved back.

"Nice to meet you," Matt remarked.

Otto didn't reply, but he smiled brighter, hoping Matt would catch on. While Matt recognized his answer, the others were still a bit confused.

"Is he not able to talk?" Edd asked.

"No, he is perfectly able," Valentino answered. "However, he is cursed, like many you meet here."

"How is he cursed?" Tord questioned.

"He can only speak in palindromes," Valentino explained.

"A pale what now?" Matt inquired.

"A palindrome," Valentino corrected. "It is a word or phrase that is written the same way forwards as it is backwards. An example is his very own name, Otto. If you were to spell it backwards, it would still be the same. Because of this curse, he does not like to talk very much. It unfortunately embarrasses him."

Otto nodded in approval, smiling slightly nervously. Matt, despite feeling guilty, smiled back as sort of sign of support.

"However," Valentino pointed out, "it is a bit of a blessing in disguise."

"How?" Edd asked.

"Well, it means he cannot inflict curses on others," Valentino responded. "All curses must be said backwards or in a different language. Since he must also say the forwards version if saying something backwards, or add the backwards version of his statement in the other language, he cannot do a curse properly."

"Curses are weird," Tord remarked. "It takes a lot of power to inflict them anyway, right? And I think you really need some sense of vengeance for it to work."

"But didn't you say curses can be cured through using mirrors?" Tom pointed out.

"No no on on!" Otto suddenly shouted. However, he immediately pulled up his turtleneck to cover his mouth, blush forming on his cheeks.

"You can very well try," Valentino told them, "but I do not advise it. Reversing curses takes quite a bit of effort, not to mention it can hurt the ghost you are trying to heal. The whole process is rather difficult to accomplish, anyway."

"But have you ever even tried it yourself?" Tord challenged.

Valentino raised an eyebrow. "Yes, in fact, I have," he said coolly.

"When?" Tord retorted.

"Do you really expect me to remember?" Valentino asked.

"So you're lying," Tord concluded.

"What?" Valentino was thoroughly confused. "Why are you being so absurd?"

"Because you're acting weird." Tord shrugged.

"I have mental problems," Valentino said bluntly.

"Not weird in that way," Tord responded. "I mean you're suddenly disappearing, talking about things you shouldn't know about, doing weird things, I could go on for ages but you get my point right?"

"Tord, what are you even talking about?" Edd inquired.

"Haven't you noticed all the signs?" Tord asked him.

"It's pretty obvious," Tom agreed.

"You guys are being ridiculous!" Valentino laughed. "Come on, Matt, you know I am normal, right?"

Matt's expression turned to one of guilt and discomfort. "Well...I've definitely noticed things off about you. I don't think Tord should be jumping to conclusions so early but..." He looked up at Valentino's face, hoping he'd understand.

Valentino was backed into a corner, suddenly feeling like nobody was on his side. He turned to Otto, saying, "Otto...? Y-You can back me up, right?"

Otto frowned at him. He suddenly reached forward and grabbed something from Valentino's breast pocket, pulling out so swiftly that Valentino staggered backwards. Otto revealed that it was a cream-colored envelope. He opened it, pulling out a folded piece of paper and handing it to Valentino.

"What...?" Valentino stared down at it before tentatively taking it in his hands. He knew what it was full well, but he played dumb to avoid being suspicious in front of the others.

"What is that?" Tord inquired, pointing at the letter.

"I, uh..." Valentino began to feel anxious, the room starting to spin. "I-It is, um..."

"Tell them meht llet," Otto demanded.

Valentino stared at Otto for a long time, before letting out a shuddering breath. He needed to be honest with them. He needed to change.

"Do you remember those letters that you received from those you helped?" Valentino asked.

"You mean this one?" Tom pulled out his fancy-looking envelope that he had gotten from Lillian after he had reunited her with Rosi.

"Oh, yeah, that." Matt pulled out his salt-soaked envelope that he had gotten from Ivy and Fjord after reuniting them. The other two also got out their letters, clearly remembering everything.

"Weren't we supposed to remember some rules, too?" Tom asked. "Something about seeing a cipher and people...dying..." He seemed to suddenly realize what might be going on.

Valentino nodded, looking guilty. "It was all a ruse," he admitted. He held out the letter to them, waving it around until one of them grabbed it. "This is the plan, outlined in detail."

Tom quickly nabbed the letter, unfolding it. The other three crowded around him to read what it said. They read it silently, going slowly to understand everything. It read:

"Plan 382

Step one: Use some sort of illusion to bring all the humans together. It doesn't matter what, just do it. It makes it easier to tell them the rules as well as strengthen their bond, if only for a bit. It will also make them trust ghosts more. We need that trust.

Step two: While they're busy, find pairs of ghosts that are closely bonded. Separate them if they aren't already. Give them fake letters for them to give to the humans out of gratitude, along with riddles as a set of instructions for opening these letters. This will distract the humans and give them something urgent to figure out while the bigger part of this plan takes place. The humans need a mission to feel like they have a purpose, as well as gain more bond with the ghosts. Again, we need them to trust them.

Step three: Tell the humans about their mission to go reunite the ghosts. That's all they need to know. They'll do the rest themselves, and receive the letters.

Step four: The biggest part of this plan. While those humans are distracted, we can successfully do away with another two. Break their minds and break their bond. They need to be separated for this to work. The rest of it will play out by itself..."

At the very bottom of the letter, there was a small photo of Lonnie and Mattie, still alive, standing in the library. They seemed to be enjoying themselves, but they also didn't seem to notice that they had even had their picture taken. The image made their hearts drop to their stomachs.

"So that was all to add to the number of ghosts here?" Edd finally muttered, still in disbelief.

Valentino nodded. "That is always their plan," he murmured.

"Were you involved in this?" Tord challenged. "Did you help kill two innocent people?"

Valentino staggered back. "What? Why would I ever-"

"Don't lie to us!" Tord shouted. "Why else would you have this letter?"

Matt suddenly gasped, bringing his hands to his mouth. His mind put two and two together. He realized that when Valentino said that Mattie's death was all his fault, this was what he meant. Valentino seemed to realize his fatal mistake as well.

"W-Wait," he sputtered, "just because I had it does not mean I was involved! I, um...st-stole it from them, s-so I could prove they were doing something! Otto, come on, back me up here, please..." He looked over at him hopefully.

Otto, however, merely shook his head. He looked up at Valentino with a guilty look, but with stern eyes that told him that he couldn't run away from this. Valentino's face turned to one of fear. He looked back at Edd, Tom, Matt, and Tord, who all stared back with looks of shock, anger, fear, and betrayal. Valentino's chest tightened. He suddenly felt a burning sensation as it became difficult to breathe. The room was already starting to fall into ruin. He couldn't handle the fact that his friends would so easily doubt him. They were his world, and his world was breaking.

But then, Valentino suddenly remembered what he had talked about with Matt. About how he had to change, move on from his past and become a better person. He couldn't let people treat him this way and tolerate it so easily. He had to do something, because he knew this wasn't the truth and he didn't want to lose the people who meant so much to him already.

"Why do you doubt me?" he finally choked out.

"Because you're acting suspicious," Tord immediately replied.

"Why should a few mistakes and strange happenings affect your relationship with me so strongly?" Valentino retorted, focusing only on trying to turn the argument on them instead of the room crumbling around him. "Were you not the ones who jumped to protect me in the very beginning?"

"That was different," Tord argued. "You were being strangled. Of course we'd save you, because we thought you were innocent."

"If I were to be strangled right now," Valentino responded, "would you still save me?"

Nobody had an answer to that.

"I wonder why you all went so silent," Valentino growled. "Is it maybe because you are too afraid to tell me you want me dead, all because I trust you?"

"What?" Tom exclaimed, confused.

"Think about it." Valentino clasped his hands together. "I admit things to you, because I trust you four with so much more information than I do anyone else. I try to protect you as well as I can, and all I have so far is help rather than hinder you, yes? So why now are you suddenly deciding that I am untrustworthy? You are going by mob mentality and using one assumption to back up your nonexistent argument."

"But it's so obvious that you were part of the plan!" Tord shouted.

"Ah, yes, so obvious that I went out of my way to kill two people I hardly know because I constantly try to help and protect those I care about," Valentino groaned. "When have I ever wanted to hurt you?"

"You slammed me into a wall once!" Tord yelled.

"How can you prove that was me?" Valentino shot back.

"Because your eye went all weird!" Tord was getting impatient now.

"Is that really all the so-called evidence you have?" Valentino retorted.

"I can use the mirror to go back into my memories and show everyone," Tord said.

Valentino laughed heartily. "Mirrors do not work on humans," he said in a mocking tone. "All you will be seeing is your reflection."

"Okay, I get it," Tord growled.

"Alright." Valentino reverted back to a calm state, surprisingly patient. "My point is, I have trusted you all from the start. I have given you everything in my power to help. I have led you to safety, I have given you information, I would give my life for you if needed. And despite all of that, you four still continue to betray me and think so lowly of me. It makes me wonder why I even bothered considering you friends. Do I have to start treating you the same way you treat me for you to understand what it feels like and come crawling to me for help?"

The four of them looked at each other with shock and guilt.

"Doesn't feel so good when the same tactics you used on me are used on you, hmm?" Valentino frowned.

"That still doesn't prove whether you did it or not," Tom pointed out.

"Alright!" Valentino's voice suddenly shot up in volume, anger bursting at the seams. "You want to know so badly? I will tell you! I was possessed! I was forced into it! That is why Krittle and I were looking for who possessed me, and why I was so messed up after the fact. We confronted them, we figured out what happened, and it hurt me so much because I was being used as some sort of puppet to pin the crime all on me. Not to mention this stupid letter was planted on me to make it even more convincing. However, I would now like to move on and forget this entire situation so I can stop feeling so weak!"

There was a few moments of silence so they could take it all in. Otto seemed to approve of Valentino standing up for himself, though he was shaking a bit due to the yelling.

"So that's why you..." Matt mumbled in a hardly intelligible voice, but before he could even finish his sentence a rage-induced Valentino cut him off.

"Yes, Matt, that is why I believe Mattie's untimely death is all my fault," he hissed. "Great job using deductive reasoning. I am sure everyone here could never figure that out on their own!"

Matt shrunk back, feeling even more guilty than he had before, even though he hadn't really done anything wrong. Valentino completely disregarded Matt's emotions and instead turned to Otto with a sick smile on his face.

"We really must be leaving now," he said. "It was nice seeing you again, though."

Otto nodded with a shy and hopeful smile on his face. Valentino said nothing more and turned away, already heading out the door. The others didn't even look back at him.

"Hey." Edd looked at Matt. "Are you okay?"

Matt uttered a small, "No." Tears threatened to spill over his eyelashes. Edd patted him on the back.

"Don't worry," he reassured. "If Valentino doesn't apologize about it or anything, we'll be sure to tell him that it wasn't okay for him to do that."

"Especially because of...you know." Tord waved his hand in a gesture of alluding to Matt's past. They all nodded, knowing what he was talking about. Otto sidled up to them, then gave them a thumbs-up in agreement. They smiled, then got ready to leave the room.

"Bye eyb," Otto said, waving at them. They waved back, sending him their goodbyes as well.

When they left the room, Valentino turned towards them at the sound. He looked like he had just witnessed a death and needed to break the news to a little kid about it.

"Um..." He stepped over to Matt awkwardly. "I'm...sorry for what I said. There is no excuse for me acting that way in front of you, even if I was upset."

Matt stared down at him, long and hard. Valentino gulped, ready to shrink back in case Matt yelled at him or worse. However, Matt simply gave a sad smile.

"I forgive you," he said, and turned away to continue down the hallway. Valentino stared after him, a bit confused. He felt like Matt wasn't be genuine, or that he needed something more. So he did what he thought he could do to help.

Valentino walked over to Matt and tapped on him to get his attention. When Matt turned around, Valentino gave him a tight hug. It lasted only a few seconds, but that was all Valentino thought Matt needed without making him too uncomfortable. He pulled away, staring at Matt's face for any signs of discomfort.

"Y-You looked like you needed one," he explained in a quiet voice.

Matt stared down at him for a few moments, then smiled warmly. He suddenly pulled Valentino into a bone-crushing hug, making the brunet yelp. Matt snuggled his chin on the top of Valentino's head.

"Thank you," he murmured.

"You are w-welcome," Valentino stammered, unsure of whether to squirm out of the hug so he could breathe or let Matt have his way. However, he didn't need to decide since Matt let go of him soon afterwards. He patted Valentino's head, tousling his hair a bit. Suddenly, he brushed his hair so wildly that it unfurled itself from its "buns", making Valentino's hair go free. He laughed and ran off, leaving Valentino to try and decide whether to fix his hair first or go after Matt. He ended up just groaning and rubbing the back of his neck in exasperation, letting Matt have his way and not have to worry about being chased down the hall.

Tom snorted, walking past Valentino to get to Matt. "You two are ridiculous."

Valentino followed behind him, the others coming up after. "We are merely having fun."

"I'm surprised you haven't scrambled to get your hair back in order," Tord remarked. "You're a lot like Matt when it comes to how much you care about physical appearance."

Valentino smiled sadly. "I care about my looks when it means something to the people around me. If he likes my hair down, then so be it."

The five of them continued down the hallway in silence. They had no care in the world anymore. They weren't worrying about anything around them. They were themselves, alone in their world together. They felt no fear, they could breathe freely, and they had an air of confidence. Somehow, they forgot about their dire situation and focused on each other for a change. Maybe they weren't entirely happy, but they weren't upset. They were just accepting everything. They could figure out things later.

However, voices were carried to them across the air. Laughter danced around, whispering sweet melodies to them. The faint sound of circus music and fair-themed goodies came to them. They quickened their pace, wanting to find wherever this was coming from. They saw lights at the end of the hall, slightly concealed by large red and yellow curtains. Matt gasped, a surge of excitement running through him. He ran ahead, eager to find out what was there. The others followed suit, save for Valentino, who stayed slightly behind in fear of what was to come.

"Maybe we should not go in there," Valentino spoke up. "After all, it seems there is a bit...too much energy. Too many ghosts means too many opportunities for you to be hurt. Let us turn back."

"Come on, it can't be that bad," Tord reasoned, holding the edge of a curtain to pull it back. "It's like a fair in there. You can't be scared of fairs, can you?"

Valentino let out a shuddering sigh. He wanted to tell Tord that he hated too many lights and too many people for reasons that he assumed were obvious to them. However, he figured he should bite his tongue and let them have their fun. If he had a panic attack, it would be his own fault. Tord held the curtain open for all of them, and they stepped inside.

The inside was just as vibrant as the lights had hinted. While they were blocked by a red rope not unlike the ones at bars, they could see beyond at all the activity. Acrobats showed off their skill and flexibility, pyromaniacs danced with fire, and a psychic played with a crystal ball in the corner. A lady seated at a table by the rope stared at them with an irritated expression, tapping a pen on the table.

"Lights." A voice said as a figure appeared out of nowhere in front of them.

"Camera." A similar voice continued as a second figure appeared next to the other.

"Magic!" they exclaimed in unison, posing together.

The five stared blankly at the two figures. They wore matching red and yellow jester outfits. The only visible difference between them was their masks. One wore the drama mask of comedy, while the other wore the tragedy mask. They moved out of their pose, putting their hand to their chin.

"I say, Cassius," the one with the comedy mask began, "humans have no appreciation for the arts."

"Why should that matter, Tate?" the one supposedly named Cassius replied. "After all, a dear friend is in the audience." He gestured to Valentino, who promptly growled.

"Oh my!" Tate feigned surprise. "Valentino, what a day to see you again!" He walked over and patted the brunet's head. "I see you have your goat ears on."

Valentino didn't say anything, only slapped Tate's hand away so he could fix his hair.

"Feisty boy today," Cassius scolded. "He seems to always have his panties in a bunch."

Tate laughed. "It's funny because he probably wears them!" He continued laughing as Valentino's face went red. The brunet adjusted his sweater even though it needed none of it.

"Geez, Tate, way to go embarrassing the poor thing," Cassius remarked sarcastically. "Why don't we bring up something that'll actually do some damage?"

"Why do you not leave me alone?" Valentino muttered.

"Because we love you!" Tate and Cassius exclaimed in unison. They leaped over to pull Valentino into a hug. Valentino immediately pushed them away, hissing, "Get your filthy hands off of me."

"You're actually growing a backbone," Tate mused.

"He can't have one," Cassius replied, "by all logic and means."

Valentino frowned. Edd, Tom, Matt, and Tord looked over, unable to catch on to what Cassius meant. The lady by the table suddenly cleared her throat.

"Well, are you two going to get to your job or keep annoying these innocent individuals?" she asked.

"Sorry, Miss Director," the two apologized in unison. They walked back in front, standing so they blocked everyone's way.

"Welcome to the circus!" Tate exclaimed.

"He's Tate..." Cassius began.

"And he's Cassius," Tate finished. "That is the director, and behind us are all of the other acts. You'll have lots of fun here!"

"Any questions, comments, concerns?" Cassius asked.

"What's with your masks?" Tom inquired.

"Oh, these?" Tate tapped his mask with a gloved finger. "They're to hide our real faces."

"You don't want to see those faces," Cassius chimed in. "Unless you want to see the scarred remains of what happens when your twin brother goes insane."

"Aw, they're not that bad!" Tate sounded like he was smiling. "It's just reconstruction after the fact. It would have been much worse had our faces not been healed at all in the whole ghost thing."

"It's still creepy how they came to be," Cassius muttered, grasping the edge of his mask with his finger and thumb.

"But they're so curious..." Tate mimicked Cassius's movements. "It'd be a shame not to show them, right?"

Before the others had a chance to object, Tate and Cassius whipped off their masks. They disintegrated into flecks of silver, dancing about in the air before disappearing. Their revealed faces were not quite as horrifying as they had imagined. However, they had the faces of puppets. Their eyes were made of buttons and their mouths were merely stitch lines across their faces. Cassius's mouth was turned permanently down, while Tate's was up, to match their masks. Edd stared on in horror, curling his hands into fists. Tom seemed disturbed, stepping back a few paces subconsciously. Matt's eyes widened and perspiration dripped down from his forehead, both from fear and the heat of all the lights in such a small space. Tord bit his tongue to keep a gasp from coming out. Valentino clasped his hands together with no emotion, seeming unaffected and not surprised by the outcome. Miss Director suddenly stood up, her chair nearly toppling to the ground. The jester twins flinched, staring at her.

"What is with you incompetent fools?" she bellowed. "I understand your job is to have fun and entertain, but all you're doing is scaring them like you're a bunch of clowns. No jester of mine will compared to those hideous creatures. Now, get on with what you're supposed to do instead of fooling around!"

"Oh, trust me, they will be doing a lot of fooling around," Valentino growled, side-eyeing the jesters. He suppressed a smirk so he could look intimidating. Somehow, even with their button eyes and permanently unmoving mouths, they looked like deer caught in headlights. The other four looked at Valentino with varying expressions, not knowing what to think of this new Valentino.

"R-Right, Miss..." Tate trailed off as Miss Director sat back down with a huff. Tate straightened his posture and gave a salute. Cassius mirrored Tate's movements. As they moved their hands back down to their sides, they materialized their masks back onto their faces.

"So, one more thing before you try to step into this world," Cassius held up his finger, "humans are not allowed."

"What?" Matt sounded thoroughly disappointed.

"No human is allowed inside of this place," Cassius repeated. He slowly looked over at Valentino. Tate did the same. Although their eyes were covered, Valentino could feel their stares boring through him. However, even as he felt the eyes of everyone on him, he stood his ground. Sweat trickled along his face to show his internal panic, but he kept his composure on the outside. For once, he wanted to actually try, even if that contributed to his failures. After a few more tense moments, Cassius and Tate looked back at the other four, leaving Valentino alone.

"Humans are not to be trusted," Cassius continued. "They're despicable creatures who deserve all the horrid treatment they get here."

"You used to be human," Tom pointed out.

"Well, you used to be a kid, but you don't see people all loving little children just because they're kids, do you?" Tate retorted.

"That doesn't even refute my point at all," Tom responded.

Tate waved it off. "Whatever. Our point is that humans aren't allowed here. Because you're ugly."

Matt gasped loudly, putting a hand to his chest. "I am not ugly!" he cried, indignant. "How dare you! If I wasn't such a gentleman I'd slap you for insulting my beauty!" He looked at his friends and added, "And insulting their beauty, as well."

"Someone call the wahhmbulance, the poor human is insulted." Cassius mocked concern, putting himself into a tragic pose. Tate laughed at the scene, making Matt's cheeks turn red from anger and embarrassment. He pulled out his mirror, picking at his face to make sure he really didn't look ugly. The jesters stared at the mirror curiously.

"A mirror?" Tate tilted his head.

"That's dangerous." Cassius mimicked Tate's tone and movements.

"Very dangerous." Tate looked over to Cassius, then at Matt. "Excuse me, ugly ginger."

Matt looked up, annoyed. "You're just as ginger as I am."

Tate and Cassius stared at each other. There were a few moments of silence.

"You look like a bloody carrot," Cassius finally said.

"Why I oughta-" Matt started, putting his fist up, but Tate cut him off.

"Anyway, dangerous items must be confiscated." Tate snatched the mirror out of Matt's hand daintily, inspecting it. Cassius looked over his shoulder, staring at his reflection. Matt looked down at his empty hands, then up at where his mirror now resided.

"Just another reason why humans are not to be trusted," Cassius said, taking hold of the mirror. "This will be ours now."

"What? No!" Matt lunged for the jesters, but they disappeared, laughing. As he fell to the ground, he toppled over the velvet rope keeping them from entering. He collapsed, his arms still reaching for his mirror. Edd hurried to help him up. Miss Director stood up again, her fists clenching at her table. Valentino turned to her. Quick as a flash, he ran over, raising his arm into the air. He slammed his fist down onto her table, sending a shock wave throughout the air. It not only made an ear-splitting noise akin to the sound of a fork scratching against a plate, but knocked the director onto her backside. Valentino turned back to Edd, Tom, Matt, and Tord.

"Go!" he yelled, pushing them forward. "I will catch up."

The four nodded, running ahead along the path. Tord looked behind them to see Valentino turn back to Miss Director, who was already getting up. He lifted up his arms to either side, holding up two fingers. He moved them in a box pattern to create a square outline around Miss Director and her table. In a swift motion, he crossed his arms over each other and the gravity in the area he outlined flip-flopped. Before she could even register what was happening, Miss Director and her table were flipped upside-down and surrounded by black smoke. Tord couldn't see Valentino's face through the whole thing, but he could see the smoky glow of those purple eyes. And for some reason, although those eyes were so intimidating, Tord felt himself slightly entranced by how strange it all was. But he couldn't focus on that now, especially since Valentino was already running after them, looking as normal as he could be.

They had a mission to get through.


End file.
